How To Lie Your Way To Power
by kia53
Summary: After taking the position of hokage, young Naruto has been struggling for over a year. Power hungry factions grew all over Konoha and no one trusts him. To gain influence in the council, he must first retake his ANBU. This is where jonin Uchiha Sasuke, a long forgotten Marriage Contract and advisor Shikamaru's lack of imagination, stepped in to save the day.
1. Lack of Plan

"What do you mean I have to?! That is none of their business!" Naruto screeched at Shizune turning red.

"Naruto, Sasuke is the last of the Uchiha. Carrier of one of the most valuable bloodlines in shinobi history." Shizune added apologetically.

"What the hell does that have to do with..?!" Now Naruto stopped mid-sentence turning even more red.

Shikamaru who was sitting on the floor next to a pile of paper, leaning against a wall of the hokage office intervened. "Everything concerning him is their business. Information is a weapon, as much as a kunai is Naruto. Don't be an idiot and just ask him."

"Ehh. You ask him." Naruto pursed his lips giving Shikamaru a stubborn stare, a stare refusing to acknowledge the huge blush on his face.

Shikamaru frowned annoyed. "Fine. Get Sasuke." He commanded a young genin standing next to the door.

"Sensei." The kid responded and disappeared immediately.

A few moments after Shikamaru lazily lifted himself off the floor, approached Naruto's desk and turned towards the door of Naruto's office. That same second, the doors opened and a black haired shinobi in a jonin outfit entered the office.

"Sasuke." Shikamaru called his name. Shizune has finished gathering the papers, bowed to Naruto and left the office.

"Yes?" Sasuke responded.

"We need some information."

"..."

"What a drag." Shikamaru complained silently, as he rotated his upper torso sideways and took a file of off Naruto's desk. Sasuke could see Naruto behind Shikamaru, looking down, visibly red and uncomfortable, needlessly fumbling with a pile of paper. Right about now, Sasuke had an idea of what was going to be asked.

Shikamaru began reading the questions nonchalantly. "Are you married?"

Despite his presumption, he paused for a second before he responded. "No."

"Were you married before?"

"No."

"Are you in a romantic relationship?"

"No."

"Were you in one before?"

"No."

"Are you engaged?"

"No."

"Were you engaged before?"

"Yes."

Both Naruto and Shikamaru stopped to look at Sasuke, staring at him for a few moments.

"To whom?" Naruto asked.

"The heir of the Hyuuga clan."

"Hinata?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I don't know." Sasuke responded.

"What do you mean you don't know?! The heir is Hinata!"

"Fine dumbass." Sasuke barked back at him.

"When?" Shikamaru asked.

"One week before the massacre."

"I see... A decent political strategy." Shikamaru took a pen of Naruto's desk and started writing on the form in his hands.

"Political strategy?" Naruto turned to him confused.

"After the coup' de ta, the Uchiha planned to take the main power in Konoha. While having faced the Senju, Sarutobi, Anbu, they wouldn't be able to afford fighting the Hyuuga as well. They needed to offer truce and division of power with the Hyuuga by having the future clan leaders engaged. Itachi was already tagged as a traitor by his father, who suspected him before the massacre. That means Sasuke was surely going to become the clan leader instead. Otherwise, Hinata would have been engaged to Itachi, not Sasuke."

"How do you know all that?" Naruto stared amazed.

"Geez. I read some files, he told us he was engaged. It's 2 + 2 Naruto." Shikamaru whined lazily, indirectly refusing to explain the details he feared Naruto would demand right away. He then looked back at Sasuke.

"Have you ever engaged in sexual intercourse, or any similar sexual activity deemed as potential for pregnancy?"

Sasuke turned completely stiff, now putting in effort into keeping his face blank. "No."

"Have you made any plans when it comes to restarting the Uchiha clan in the future?"

"..." Shikamaru stared at Sasuke, Sasuke stared back, not speaking. Shikamaru finally broke the silence casually jotting down.

"Ook, we'll make that a no." Sasuke's eyebrows lowered and he seemed to be slightly blue in the face. Shikamaru added. "Ok, well the rest of this stuff doesn't apply I guess... Wait. Do you have any other known relatives?"

"...No." Sasuke could finally see who the actual source of these questions was. "What do the elders want with this?"

Shikamaru could hear the anger in his voice. It really tired him when people got emotional. He continued his writing, not looking up. "I don't meet with them Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at Naruto.

"I suggested you take over the ANBU in Danzo's stead like we planned. Since you killed him and all, they kind of like you for that one. I thought it was gonna work." Then Naruto added grumpily. "But instead of making a damn decision already, they keep organizing meetings, voting and now this stupid form. Still, it seems they are finally running out of shit to fire my way."

Shikamaru put down the file he filled out on one pile of papers and sat back down on his spot on the floor, flipping through another tower of paperwork. "It's not shit Naruto."

"What?"

"Naruto, they won't say yes. There is a reason they sent this form."

"What?"

Shikamaru responded still going through his papers. "Look, ANBU are the right hand of the hokage. Second in command, and ANBU leader is second in power. All of history, Uchiha fought the Senju for the first place. They don't trust Sasuke. In fact they fear he might turn against Konoha and defect if he decides he doesn't like answering to you. Which he will be doing as an ANBU every step of the way. They need him to tie himself to Konoha. The big difference between Madara who repeatedly tried to destroy it, and rest of the Uchiha who wanted to take over, is that Madara had no one left. He had no one of his own. If it's a choice between another Uchiha clan they might fight, or the potential second Madara, they must have decided they would rather have Sasuke have a family they can rely on he'll be invested into, than to have him be alone, considering how powerful he is. Tsunade died a month ago. The village is unstable. Until they start believing in you as a strong new leader, they will continue to make such precautions."

Naruto's fists clenched. He appeared to be more annoyed by this assessment than Sasuke was.

"Found it." Shikamaru finally stopped his flipping through the mess, as he drew out a thick folder once hidden under the scattered paper.

"What are you looking for?" Sasuke asked.

"A way to get you in as Danzo's replacement."

"And you trust me?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Naruto does. That's all I need to know. Now, these are Hyuuga clan laws and agreements. It is a part of their ethical code. They keep it all public and honor their word above all else. It is what affords them most allies out of any of the clans in Konoha. Agreements made and how. Let's see... Engagement, e... N.. G.. Here. Out-of-clan engagements of male clan members will be fulfilled by bringing the bride into the clan. Male members can be... Ok, not this. Female... Female... Ha. Out-of-clan engagements of female clan members will be fulfilled by sealing the byakugan of the bride and sending her into the family of the groom."

"Sealing?!" Naruto stood out of his chair.

Shikamaru got confused. "It can't be Hinata then. Who would run the clan? That means Hanabi was taking her place..." Shikamaru spoke to himself as he started flipping paper to the end of the file.

Naruto just stood there tense. Shikamaru got to the name list.. "It is! She was engaged. Agreement guaranteed with the lives of Hyuuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku in the name of the Uchiha clan and the Hyuuga clan. Vitnaced by Hiruzen Sarutobi as an entirely inside village matter. Konohagakure, July 5th, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata..."

"They can't do that to Hinata! Seal her LIKE NEJI?!" Naruto now yelled angry. To Naruto's surprise, Shikamaru almost laughed, now grinning satisfied as if he was winning a game of shogi against a good opponent. "I knew it."

Naruto went silent, unsure if Shikamaru was messing with him. Shikamaru looked up at Naruto. "There is no Uchiha."

"Yes there is." Naruto contradicted spontaneously.

"No, the Uchiha clan. The clan was considered disbanded after the massacre. Sasuke as an underage kid, could not announce himself to belong to this clan, so the law dictated that the clan becomes disbanded until Sasuke comes of age and re-announces it as the new leader. Sasuke did not live in the Uchiha district, he lived a few buildings away from the academy. Naturally, the engagement agreement is void, since the clan who made the contract doesn't exist anymore. And as long as it remains that way, we can rewrite the marriage contract into whatever we like, marry Sasuke and Hinata on paper, use it to get Sasuke in as the head of the ANBU and we can even have them divorced before the elders figure out the contract has been altered. By that time you'll have enough influence Naruto and there will... What?" Shikamaru's monologue was broken by the depressing darkness on Naruto's and Sasuke's face. His eyes widened.

"What did you two do?"

"Sasuke took back the Uchiha district. Remember? Where some of us made the tougher training grounds for the genin."

"I know. Temari hasn't stopped telling me about it. And?"

"Well I kind of suggested Sasuke could restart his clan officially for us to take the Uchiha district area from Konoha's ownership. It's how we were able to build it."

Sasuke added. "I reannounced the clan last year."

Shikamaru put the papers on the floor and leaned back against the wall helplessly, closing the conversation. Slowly, he slid on the floor into a lying down position, staring at the ceiling for quite a while, before he spoke again. "You can break the contract and marry anyone you like Sasuke. It is guaranteed with your father's life. He is dead, so you are free to do what you want. But you won't be trusted, or allowed in, until you have several children, a good reputation as a veteran shinobi of Konoha and every council member we have now croacks. Especially if the Uchiha clan breaks an agreement with the Hyuuga. Hinata comes from the most respected and trustworthy clan we know. She was our.. Your golden ticket in the council. This way, they'll have enough power to mess with Naruto, preventing him from running and protecting Konoha whenever they feel like it. The fact that they don't trust him, makes them dangerous."

Naruto interrupted irritated. "What are you suggesting Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and yawned. "I'm not suggesting anything. You're not dragging me into this."

Naruto continued. "Doing this to Hinata is out of the question! We need another solution."

Shikamaru turned his head and looked at Naruto sleepily. "Do you have one?"

Naruto remained silent with only the tension on his face to protest.

Sasuke finally responded. "We have to ask her."

Both Naruto and Shikamaru looked at him. Shikamaru put his head back down and added after a few moments of silence. "You."

"What?"

"You have to ask her. She's not marrying us."

"No! No one is asking her anything."

"Chill Naruto."

"You chill!"

"Geez."

Sasuke asked. "What does the contract say about the conditions of the marriage?"

"You can't divorce for 5 years and you have to have at least one male child. If the male child isn't born during the first 5 years, you can't divorce at all. I can't mess with this if it's in the main storage now. The moment Uchiha clan was restarted, all of this became official again."

"We'll break into the storage then."

"You may as well announce war on your own ANBU Naruto. You have no control. The elders have you on a tight leash. Touch anything and you could only make it worse."

"We can't ask Hinata this. I don't care, find another strategy." Naruto protested still appalled and angry.

"There is another strategy. Though I wouldn't even call it a strategy, more like flat out lying"

Sasuke asked. "What is it?"

"Like I said, lying. Marry, stay together in the same house for 5 years, have Hinata fake a pregnancy, adopt a male child, divorce. By law the child will belong to you and your admission into the ANBU and the Konoha council is guaranteed somewhere along that way."

Again, the room was silent as Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other. Naruto sat back down on his chair with a helpless expression on his face. "I can't order Hinata to do this. They want to seal her."

Sasuke responded. "You won't order. She'll decide herself."

Shikamaru who seemed like he was sleeping on the floor at this point called. "Mirate!"

Naruto hissed at Sasuke. "You don't know Hinata! She's a good person. She would do anything to help people."

Sasuke ignored his anger. "Good."

The same genin from before appeared in the room. Shikamaru ordered. "Bring Hinata here."

The kid looked at Shikamaru basically sleeping on the floor and asked irritated. "Teacher, you are going to train me today, right?"

"Not if you don't bring Hinata." The kid disappeared escorted by Shikamaru's smirk.

"You're not going to train him are you?"

"Why do you care Naruto?"

"I had a similar teacher." Said Naruto mimicking the annoyed expression of Shikamaru's student."

Shikamaru grinned closing his eyes. "Hey, you turned out nicely."

_- 3 minutes later...-_

"Naruto?"

The 3 jonin looked at the door confused by a timid call behind it.

"Come on in Hinata!"

Dark haired girl, dressed in a long sleeved purple shirt, a jonin jacket, dark purple pants and a white, split knee long skirt walked in. She was blushing and avoiding eye contact with Naruto, to whom she was speaking.

"You have a mission for me?"

"Hinata, you see... Yes, I have a missi-Request! That's it! A request. Because you don't have to do it. At all! If you don't want to.."

She looked at him confused.

"Well, where do I begin? You see... When I first became hokage, the council wouldn't let me do anything. Since Danzo died and the war started, they seized most of the the power in Konoha. And now, I can't do anything and I can't stop... The point is, my ANBU needs a captain... And that captain is Sasuke. I mean he's not the captain! That's the problem you see. We have to make him...Captain. Because the elders might pass on control on their own family and then..!"

Sasuke walked closer to Naruto's desk, faced Hinata interrupting what was becoming nonsense coming out of flustered Naruto. "I need to become the ANBU leader and get into the council. I can't do that unless I am trusted, especially by the Hyuuga councilman, your grandfather. Your family has the reputation I need. That's why I need you to marry me and stay with me as long as it takes, for the hokage office to take back control lost in the war."

Hinata's blush has faded away and she was staring at Sasuke, visibly shocked. "Marry... You?"

"Yes."

She snuck a glance in Naruto's direction as if panicking and asking for help. He looked just as nervous, even angry. Slowly, blush came back to her face as it all sunk in. "Wh-Why? Why me?"

"There is a marriage contract made between our clans with our names on it. If we use it as an excuse, I can gain trust of the Hyuuga council members, their friend and get the position of the ANBU leader, currently held by a Shimura."

Naruto intervened again. "Look Hinata! You really don't have to do it. Shikamaru read what they do to girls who marry out of the clan."

But Hinata appeared zoned out and mumbled something to herself.

"Hinata?" Naruto called her again.

"Sasuke. I don't know. Don't you have someone you…You love?" She suddenly lost her composure and looked down, her face glowing covered in red, due to her becoming all too aware of Naruto standing a few meters away from her.

"Irrelevant. I'm asking you to fake being my wife until we take back control over Konoha. The only real thing would be the ceremony."

Naruto didn't know what is it that he really wanted to hear her from her. He just knew he felt incredible guilt. "Hinata, do you know what they do to girls who marry outside of the clan?"

Her blush faded a bit. "Yes."

"And you could..?"

She smiled mildly and now looked directly at Naruto. "Neji had one too."

In this moment, their eyes locked and Hinata's became watery, filled with tears. It appeared it was provoked by the memory of her cousin. But it wasn't. It was because of Naruto. Standing there, asking her to marry his friend.

"Hinata." Sasuke called her name, breaking her out of the daze. She jerked her body sideways as if startled, first looking down at the floor simply hiding from Naruto, before lifting her eyes towards Sasuke, who was already walking. "I need to speak to you in private."

"Ah. Ok." She moved suddenly, glad strength hadn't permanently left her muscles.

Naruto got confused. "What do you mean in private? Hey. Hey! Sasuke!"

The doors were shut.

Naruto grumpily sat back down in his seat. He felt guilty. The last thing he needed was Hinata's crying face reminding him of her cousin who gave his life for her. If he knew what they were asking of her… Naruto didn't doubt Neji would have tried to kill all 3 of them. A part of him even wished Neji was alive just to have someone punish him (Naruto) for this. Maybe he didn't need Neji after all. In the end, if Sakura doesn't break his ribs if she hears what they resorted to, no one else would. But then again, she's ten times worse. _Maybe I can blame it all on him if she finds out… _He thought as he anxiously stared at the lazy sleeping figure on his office floor.

- _…on the hokage mansion rooftop..._-

Sasuke and Hinata were walking out on the rooftop. The wind circled around them. Hinata removed her hair of her face as she approached the edge of the rooftop after Sasuke. As soon as he reached the fence, he turned facing her. "Will you do it?"

She expected more time. She needed more time. Hell, moments would do. "I want to help Naruto. Yes." She confirmed insecurely.

"I'm not asking you if you want to help Naruto, I'm asking you if you want to risk your reputation, turn your back on your family, actually marry me, pretend to live a married life with me for 5 years and pretend to have a child I'll adopt and later raise after we divorce."

She looked up at him with a sort of shock and numbness in her eyes. Sasuke continued to stare directly in her eyes without pardon, or break. He wanted to force her to give up and reply honestly, in the same surrendering, emotional manner she did when she looked at Naruto just now. But the key to lifting Hinata's guards in order to see the truth inside, could never be found by means of cold, forceful stares. She has seen too many of those growing up. She knew them all too well and she had a well prepared, well-mannered response for them. Her face took up an expression of calm, humble obedience, without any emotion left… "Sasuke, I don't mind. I believe Naruto will do what is best for Konoha. If I am ready to die for, Konoha… I am, of course, ready to marry for its sake as well.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed induced by a sense of losing to this timid girl. It irritated him and he wasn't the one to let go. "I was told you're in love with Naruto."

Hinata's eyes spread wider to Sasuke's satisfaction. He continued. "Five years is a long time. If you do this for him, if all goes well, you may end up losing him, instead of your family."

She quickly looked down and sideways. She didn't believe she could hide her melancholy while responding to this. "It's really not so ironic Sasuke... I... I won't lose Naruto. I never had him in the first place. Naruto loves.."

She couldn't complete the sentence, giving herself away in the end.

Sasuke had a purpose. It was to make sure Hinata is someone who can persevere in all this. Who won't have a reason to back out. Who can keep up the act. This wasn't a mission, yet everyone involved would be at risk. Seeing her hope for Naruto's affection visibly crushed, he was pretty satisfied.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"Well, who will know that we're lying? Besides Naruto and Shikamaru..."

"We'll discuss that with them. Let's go back."

"Wait, Sasuke. Uhm, I have one more question."

Sasuke stopped.

"Will you be..Will you be losing anyone?"

"No."

She didn't know what to respond with. She didn't know Sasuke has no family to lie to. Now, she was regretting her question. She thought she may have overstepped some boundary. Sasuke seemingly overlooked her nervousness and added. "My problems come from people refusing to leave me alone, not the opposite."

The out of character kindness on his part was not so surprising, at least not with such a pitiful creature he thought. He put his hands in his pockets and repeated what he said before. "Let's go back."

* * *

**WARNING**: This fanfiction contains **SasuHina** and **NaruSaku.**

**I do not mind bad reviews as any review is welcome, but the only criticisms I've gotten so far have come from people dissatisfied with the pairings I've placed in brackets above. I am sorry if this story comes up when you search some other pairing, but that is out of my control.**


	2. Cracked Ribs

"So it's settled then. We'll account this as a mission." Shikamaru was handing files to Naruto who was signing them one by one. "Naruto, this one requires your writing and blood seal."

Naruto was painting on a text that instructed Hinata's mission, signed it, rolled it up, sealed it, handed it to her and said: "When you open it, it starts officially."

The girl lifted her hand forming a hand sign in order to release the mission scroll, but Naruto extended his arm grabbing her wrist breaking up the chakra flow in her hand for a moment. "Hinata, we are accounting it as a mission for your sake only. It is not. Please remember that you don't have to open it."

She gave Naruto a warm reassuring smile accompanied by a sense of calmness, a thing new for her in his presence. Her blush was controlled, her thoughts orderly, her gaze clear. "It's ok Naruto."

He let go of her wrist unresponsive to her smiling face and just leaned back grumpily sinking into his chair, while the little rolled up piece of paper popped open in her hand.

Sasuke who was standing next to her said: "You have to get rid of it."

"Ok" she nodded, attempting to fold it now. He grabbed the paper out of her hand and incinerated it instantly.

"So we're keeping this between the four of us alone?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.

"I agree." he responded passively. Hinata then looked at him as if having remembered something. "Naruto, there is someone else that maybe should know."

"Who?"

Hinata fumbled with her skirt for a few moments, unsure how to explain herself, but the name on her mind was clear. "Sakura."

Naruto's entire body shivered in horror. "Why Sakura!?" He already saw himself in bruises.

Hinata knew how Sakura felt about Sasuke. Not only did she know, she understood. She couldn't just let her believe he has married someone else on his own accord and has forgotten about her feelings for him. If Naruto had just ignored her feelings, instead of acknowledging them, the pain would have been unbearable. Sakura _had _to know this was all a mission.

But such thoughts don't appear in minds of those much less kind than Hinata. All Sasuke and Shikamaru were thinking was that, as long as Sakura knew the truth, there was hope for her to hold onto her feelings for Sasuke and refuse Naruto. They were convinced Hinata was calculating the exact same thing.

"Is it to make the fake baby?" Naruto asked after a bit. "Why can't it be Shizune?" He whined thinking how he's going to be beaten up soon.

"The fake baby?" Shikamaru looked at him surprised.

"Yes, they have to make a fake pregnancy on Hinata and adopt a baby. You said that." Naruto grinned, and proud for having remembered it added: "Dumbass."

Shikamaru smirked amused and responded. "You have a point. If anyone has a chance of pulling something like this off, it's Sakura."

Naruto slumped in agony and confirmed. "There's no way around it then. Shikamaru you'll tell Sakura. Sasuke, two of us are going to the Hyuuga residence tomorrow. Hinata, you just make sure you appear ignorant of everything."

The three shinobi nodded at Naruto. "That's all for today I guess. I have a few reports to get to and I'll hit the sack. We can all go home!" He grinned stretching his arms.

Shikamaru lifted himself off the ground, took a few files under his arm and called: "Mirate!" His genin appeared in the room. "Let's go train you."

"Teacher."

"Yeah?"

"It's midnight." The kid complained annoyed. He's been standing in front of those doors the entire day.

"We can go home if you want."

"No! I want to train!"

"Well that's nice to hear." Shikamaru and his student disappeared in the hallway.

Sasuke and Hinata were walking out of Naruto's office behind them. Naruto called: "Hey Hinata." She stopped returning in front of Naruto's desk as the room remained empty. Naruto stood out of his chair and bowed to her. "Thank you." He then straightened his body and added with a big smile on his face. "For what you did just now. Looking out for Sakura. You're cool people."

Hinata's face turned red again and she smiled back. Naruto took his jacket off the back of his chair. "I'm gonna get to unfreeze some ramen!" he jumped over his desk in glee. Hinata giggled as they left the hokage office.

_- …Hyuuga residence; the next morning -_

"Hinata sweetie you don't have to do that. It's clean." Hinata's mother called out to her after she spotted her daughter having soaped up the entire kitchen.

"I'm almost done mum. It's fine." The girl nervously fussed with everything around the house, trying to keep herself busy and exhaust the nervousness that has kept her up all night. By 8 o'clock that morning she's done 3 days' worth of training that she could do in silence without waking anyone, flipped through all the books in her room and the entire house was spotless. The family was sitting down to eat with exhausted Hinata, having accomplished her goal. She had no more energy to be strained and nervous, worrying about acting. In fact, she was barely keeping herself awake.

Her father looked at her concerned. "Hinata."

She spread her eyes wide, focusing on appearing rested in front of him. "Yes father?"

"Are you sick?"

Now she has started sweating as panic overcame her. _I messed it up! Can they tell!? Calm down Hinata. You have to lie. Lie. Lie. _"Not really…" _That's wrong. Lie. _"Maybe. It's nothing too much." She lifted the corners of her lips. "I don't know."

He turned on his byakugan examining his daughter's chakra flow. It has slowed down. Luckly, chakra flow caused by exhaustion, when mixed with the person panicking, looks random and is similar to chakra flow of many other common conditions. Like indigestion.

"If you're not feeling better by tonight, we'll skip your training."

"Yes father." She responded meekly and continued with her meal, keeping closer attention to staying awake.

Ko Hyuuga walked in the room bowing to the family. "Master Hiashi, there are visitors at the gate."

Past this point, all need for Hinata to work to stay awake was gone.

Hiashi seemed annoyed. "Tell them to wait, we're eating."

"But sir, it's the hokage."

Hiashi's youngest son, a 1 year old boy, sitting on his mother's lap repeated the word he learned recently and has just heard again. "Og-kage!" His mother covered his mouth silencing him: "Shh, Ko is speaking, Hirasu." Hiashi didn't understand. What business would the hokage have coming to his house in person? He could have sent for him.

He put down his chopsticks and looked at his wife as he rose to his feet: "I'll be right out." She nodded restraining the Tasmanian devil in her lap. But the kid was relentless. He squirmed out his mother's hold and was out the door, after his father in a matter of seconds. His mother who failed to catch him in the kneeling position, finally got up running after him. "Hirasu!" Hinata and Hanabi who were the last ones at the table resumed eating. Or Hanabi did. Hinata was nervously crushing the remaining rice grains in her bowl anticipating even the slightest sound. Hanabi noticed and began to stare at her sister.

"Miss Hinata?" She was so tense that the moment Ko who was sent back to bring her, called her name, she fired the chopstick from between her fingers having it land in the soup in the middle of the table.

"Eh… Your father wants to see you outside."

She nodded and slowly rose to her feet, under the impression she'd flip something over if she's not careful. Standing, she could tell she is a bit dizzy. On the trail around the corner of their house, towards the gates, she passed her mother carrying her little brother in her arms back to the house. "Og-kage!" the kid yelled after Hinata. From the opposite side of the yard she heard Naruto's voice. "Exactly! You have a great future kid!" Naruto was laughing. She could finally see him with Ko, her father and Sasuke standing, waiting for her.

"Well hokage, my daughter is here like you asked. What did you have to tell me this early in the morning?"

Sasuke spoke before Naruto got the chance to. "He didn't. He's here for me."

"You?"

"My name is Sa.."

"I know who you are." The atmosphere dropped in an instant. Naruto has completely stopped smiling and Hinata was frozen hearing her father's strict angry voice.

"I'm here to marry your daughter. Naruto is here in Sarutobi's stead, as a witness."

Hiashi just stood there staring at Sasuke for what seemed like eternity. He then turned around and started walking back to the house.

"Follow me."

_- …inside the Hyuuga meeting room -_

Opposite of Naruto and Sasuke were sitting Hinata and Hiashi, Ko was standing outside guarding the door.

"Do you have the contract?"

Sasuke handed him the scroll. Hiashi took it and looked at it. "This is not happening."

Sasuke stared at him grimly. Hiashi continued. "Your father is dead."

"His life guaranteed my withdrawal, not the validity of the contract. I'm not withdrawing."

"Your whole clan is dead. This was a clan based contract. An alliance." Hiashi continued coldly.

"My family is dead, but my clan is officially active."

"One man clan? This isn't a game boy." Hiashi was growing angry.

"It's not. It's a clan you owe your daughter to."

"It's not a clan." Hiashi quickly retorted raising his voice.

"Enough." Naruto interrupted their conversation in a rather mild and calm tone. "Master Hiashi, the contract is valid, I checked myself this morning, you can do it too. I don't agree with this. I never did. But I can't change it. I have to be here." It was obvious he was indirectly apologizing to Hinata who was staring at him with a worried look on her face.

"Naruto, do you remember what you once told me? … You told me you were going to remove the curse mark from my clan and change everything. I will never let you do that of course, but understand that this contract puts one on Hinata's forehead."

"Why would you make such a contract?" Naruto responded spontaneously.

"It's something called the rinnegan experiment."

At the word rinnegan, Hiashi had their full attention.

"That's right, you're a user Sasuke. Well you might understand this... It's based on a legend passed down from generation to generation within the Hyuuga clan. Legend of Hyuuga's rinnegan. A child born to our ancestor who escaped with an Uchiha. She returned after her husband had died, with a girl in her arms. A girl not many today believe existed. Back then our clan did not train women in combat. The child's rinnegan was activated in distress, on accident and she was said to have died young of disease. An alliance between the Uchiha and the Hyuuga formed in order to create the next generation of children wielding the power of the rinnegan."

"You wanted a weapon?" Naruto responded with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Every child is a weapon. We wanted a better weapon, one which would make a leader one day. But for that child to be born, we had to join two kekkey genkai carriers from our respective clans. Only no one trusted the other side. Uchiha feared if they gave us their daughter, we'd lie to them and keep the child to ourselves. Same went for us. It's why, ultimately, we gambled. Complete alliance was proposed. Merging of the two clans with this marriage, only if the child born in it is the rinnegan user we wanted. And the only way to do that in full commitment, discarding the fear, was to marry the two successors to our clans, ensuring that the child to inherit the the clans in the future, has a family on both sides and has no interest in oppression, or separation, like the one Konoha committed against the Uchiha."

Sasuke intervened. "There is nothing about this in the marriage contract."

Hiashi looked at him again, his gaze growing darker as soon as he did. "This agreement was silent and unofficial. Our contracts are public. It was posed as a regular marriage and until the child has grown, it was going to stay that way. The regularity of that contract was the exit clause."

Naruto repeated. "Exit clause?"

"Exit out of our clan alliance. If the child born to my daughter within the Uchiha clan does not activate the rinnegan, the plan for the alliance between our clans will be cancelled and my daughter will stay in the Uchiha clan as their member for the rest of her life. At the time I had no intention to have her run the clan even if she was the successor, so I conceded to send her away."

In the corner of their eyes, all 3 men could see Hinata flinch by a few millimetres at the end of her father's sentence. Hiashi's eyes dropped to the ground and he added in a more silent voice. "I am not proud of this fact, but I was, and still am the leader of this clan first and her father second."

Sasuke now intervened, completely ignoring the sensitivity of the situation. "As a leader first, you should have no problems honouring your contracts."

"It is a two part contract. The unofficial part cannot be upheld by you alone."

"I don't care about your unofficial agreements. This is a stain on my family name and I won't let it go."

"If that's the stain you're worried about, you've got your priorities mixed up boy."

The two of them were like angry cats hissing and circling one another, but Hiashi's last remark seemed to have cracked something inside Sasuke. His eyes turned red. "You either honour this contract, or we go with the alternative."

Hiashi's byakugan activated and he rose to his feet. "So be it." Sasuke followed. Hinata was staring up at her father with horror in her eyes. Realizing what just happened Naruto jumped up and extended open palms towards Hiashi, turning his back on Sasuke. "Ok this got out of hand! Let's all calm down."

"Uchiha clan here is right. Hyuuga always honour their contracts hokage Naruto." Hiashi added as another vein popped up on the side of his left eye.

"Father!" A high pitched voice tore through the room. Surprised, all 3 of them looked at her simultaneously as Hinata stood up as well. "Father please don't do this. I'll go with him." She stared at him with tears in her eyes. Hiashi has made Hinata cry many times, but never this way. Never _for_ him… He lowered his guard and turned to her when "I'm sorry." escaped his lips. Words he has never uttered before. It pushed out tears, which were now streaming down her face and she smiled responding in a cracked, crying voice: "I understand." She then quickly covered her eyes with her sleeve, hiding behind it. Hiashi slowly approached his daughter and pressed her head against his chest, putting his other arm around her shoulders in a gentle and unsure manner. Finally Hinata hugged him back, now obviously unable to stop crying.

Naruto who was incredibly touched by the whole scene got his compassion crushed by Sasuke's elbow yanked straight into his ribs. Not wanting to disturb Hinata and Hiashi, he held in cries of pain making a mental note to take revenge on Sasuke as soon as they're out of there.

Before he let go of her Hiashi said. "It's alright. It's a duty I escaped once long ago pushing my brother in the line of fire. I guess my time has finally come." He stepped away from her and continued. "You'll do good, I have trust in you."

"No I won't."

"Excuse me?"

"No I won't father. I was never born to take your place and until Hanabi can, you mustn't risk your life like this!"

"Hinata, regardless of today, risk on my life is something I and everyone in our clan accept."

"And saving it is the most valuable thing I can ever do for this clan. Please father."

Hiashi exhaled as he slowly turned his head to look at Sasuke. His eyebrows lowered. There was no helping it. He hated him. Not only by reason even. On instinct. With resentment oozing out of his every word Hiashi surrendered. "You win Uchiha clan. We'll hold the ceremony in two days. I'll send organizers to your residence. Half of the fee is on you."

Equal dislike was naturally reciprocated, with anger tangible around Sasuke's entire presence. He bowed to Hiashi and without another word left the room. Naruto who was left alone by Sasuke in there, quickly bowed down as well, pushing an awkward smile on his face. Before he disappeared in Sasuke's direction.

_- …out on the streets of Konoha...-_

Naruto and Sasuke were walking in silence. Suddenly Naruto jammed his elbow in Sasuke's ribs.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He looked at him angry and bewildered.

"Same thing you did to me!"

"We were in there to intimidate Hiashi and you looked like a little girl."

"Excuse me!? My tears are manly!"

"Hn." Sasuke scoffed irritated.

"They are!"

"Shut up. You're annoying."

"No one is asking your opinion you cool-pretending evil, clown!"

"…"

"Oh what is that supposed to mean?!"


	3. Parental Love

_You're leaving forever. No matter what happens, You're leaving the clan. Your family… I never thought of it like this before. … Have I? Is this what I wanted? … I'm a horrible daughter! Please forgive me!… I have to apologize to everyone. I can't just… I lied. … We all know you did! … You even refused to lead the clan… How dare you?!.. I lied t… _

"**Aaah!**" Hinata screamed suddenly, opening her eyes. 3 AM. _5 hours of sleep? I can't sleep anymore. I should sleep more than this. I have to tire myself. Then I'll try again. _She got out of her bed with a zombie like expression one her face. _Gentle fist practice will do._ She thought and stood in her fighting stance. _I have to get used to…_ Her arms lowered a bit. _I have to get used to doing it on my own from now on. Correctly._ She began her form.

_- …that morning in the Hyuuga household… -_

Hinata was sitting down on the tatami surrounded by her clanswomen. Out the window, she could see her sister in the yard, training with a few other boys, the house was surrounded by people working on a shrine located on a hill just above the Hyuuga homes. She didn't know why she kept looking back at Hanabi and the boy, with sort of an ache in her stomach. Or was that nausea from not having slept once again and having eaten barely anything? The women surrounding her were excitedly discussing plans and details of the wedding ceremony, playing with her hair and debating whether she would look better with white or pink colours in her hair. Her senile grandmother kept complaining about the sunlight and demanding a glass of water from her mother who eventually served the stubborn old lady the entire bucket and a glass to grab it herself.

"She's such a pretty young woman. That Uchiha is a lucky guy!" Her mother's friend extended her arm squeezing Hinata's chin. It startled her and she quickly looked down turning red.

"Don't say such things Itaya! You're embarrassing the girl." Another young woman remarked.

"Hey if I can embarrass her, what's gonna happen after she marries?" She grinned devilishly.

"Itaya!" The young woman exclaimed restraining laughter.

"Don't you Itaya me! I'm the one to always says how every conversation has its time and place. Well this is her time, and this is her place."

Hinata's other grandmother who was going through piles of fabric responded: "Itaya, you've had your time to scare the life out of your own daughters and granddaughters. So let me and my daughter take care of our own."

She mopingly took a piece of silk and started braiding it into decoration. "Fine. Do whatever you like, party poopers."

"I still think white flowers look perfect next to her face!"

"Who's sewing the outer layers?"

"Iamari, leave her hair alone, you're messing it up."

"I'm not messing it up, I'm lifting it! Hinata likes it! Right?"

"Uhm... Sure." Hinata responded confused. She hasn't even seen the bird's nest on her head.

"See? She likes it!"

"Imari let her go. We already agreed we're not making that one."

"Where are the needles?"

"You lost the needles?! Mum Hana lost the needles!"

"I didn't loose them on purpose!"

"I can't believe how patient your daughter is, you really raised her well."

"Thank you, Hinata is a good girl." Her mother smiled cheerfully.

"Ahh, it's always such a shame to see a girl leave her clan." Another woman joined in, smiling kindly at Hinata.

"Poor dear lost her cousin in the last war." Her neighbour leaned in to share the information with the woman next to her.

"I don't think his death is the reason she's leaving. There are lost of boys his age among the Hyuuga. I heard there was a marriage contract." She whispered.

"Really?" The women lowered their voices into mumbling as they continued their gossip.

"We Hyuuga women are famous for our manners. Let's hope she keeps that up and listens to her husband well." Another woman proudly proclaimed after taking a sip of her tea.

"Oh please Chiasa, like you ever listened to your husband."

"Well I'm not saying we are all perfect. Besides, what he doesn't know can't hurt him." All the women started laughing.

Hinata who hasn't been participating in the conversation has however been smiling for a while now. She didn't really fit in, she had nothing to contribute to the conversation. Her world was visible through that window looking at the training ground behind the house. Still… She felt welcome for a change.

_-…3 pots of tea later…-_

"This way. ladies." The doors opened and 3 female chuunin stepped inside the large living room. Ko excused himself and joined the crowd in the front yard.

"Hello." Three of them bowed towards the group of Hyuuga women gathered in a crowd around Hinata. "We're Hinata's friends. We're here to see her."

Hinata's mother quickly approached them "Ino, am I right?"

"Yes. These are our friends, Sakura and Tenten." Ino pointed at them politely.

The woman smiled from ear to ear, genuinely happy to see them. "Well of course you are. Come in, join us!"

Hinata who was standing there, being covered in layer, after layer, after layer of fabric, pushed, poked, prodded, pulled, adjusted, could not see, or hear her mother welcoming her friends. They walked around the crowd trying to let Hinata know they were there. The girl's face went from nervous strain to surprise. "Sakura." she called her name.

"You look beautiful." Sakura smiled at her.

"You really do!" Ino added gleefully. "I have a pattern for you." She took out the fabric she brought with her and started pushing into the crowd of women trying to get to Hinata.

_-…20 minutes later…-_

"Ino you really have a talent for this." The women praised her.

One could almost see blonde's head grow a little. "Oh please, it's just a hobby."

The final pin has been stuck into what once was Hinata's figure. The women slowly moved away staring at her in awe.

"You look beautiful." Tenten who felt out of place more than anyone, finally spoke.

Her mother teared up. "You really do."

"I want to switch the flower patter on the sides."

"Yeah I was thinking that too."

"I like it."

"Hinata what do you think honey?"

Hinata who felt like a doll in an exhibit was unsure if she deserved the compliments considering the only thing she did was stand. She also had absolutely no opinion other than that her kimono was extremely heavy.

"It's pretty." She beamed timidly.

The older lady who was still unsatisfied responded. "We're switching that flower pattern."

"Strip her."

"Eeeh!?"

But before she had a chance to protest, the women grabbed her and removed all the cloth stuck to her body leaving her in her underwear, with face red as a tomato. Her grandmother took her arm calling Sakura, Ino and Tenten. "Girls, this way." They followed and she brought them into a separate, darker room, blocked from outside view. Please keep my granddaughter company while I take care of those vultures outside. She smiled and left the them alone.

When the doors closed and they finally found themselves in silence, Hinata slowly turned to look at her friends, quite embarrassed she was literally in her underwear. But they were all smiling, not nearly as aware of that. Sakura stepped forward first and hugged her, moved away and said: "Congraulations." That word brought tears to her eyes.

It alarmed everyone in the room to see Sakura cry. Sakura realised the girls were staring at her anticipating any other reaction. She then started wiping her eyes and added something only Hinata truly understood. "Shikamaru told me." But that only made her tears worse. Now Hinata approached her and hugged her back. "I'm sorry Sakura." Sakura continued to cry repeating. " Shikamaru told me. Shikamaru told me." Sakura knew everything, but this was the extent of her feelings for Sasuke. They were well alive and the fakeness of this wedding didn't make it hurt less. Sakura didn't expect herself to react this way. She was too embarrassed to even lift her head away from Hinata at this point. Now Ino stepped forward and hugged them both petting Sakura's head. "There there Billboard Brow, we couldn't have known Sasuke is a boob guy."

A few moments later breath of laughter interrupted Sakura's sobs, slowly replacing them with new ones more and more. She put both of her hands on her wet face now laughing instead of crying. Hinata and Ino slowly moved away from her. Ino continued sarcastically: "I mean I have jutsus. I could have made it happen. If he was a boob guy, he should have told me. Now you… You had no chance to begin with."

Sakura finally uncovered her face laughing out loud provoking the same reaction from rest of the girls. "Seriously Sakura, whenever it comes to that hot piece of ass, you turn into your 6 year old self all over again." Ino complained, but Sakura was only laughing about it. And that was plenty for now.

"Congratulations." Tenten who has been slightly left out so far finally got to Hinata.

"Thank you." The mild, indifferent look on her face was not at all what Tenten had expected. Confused she broke the silence again.

"So you were dating and you haven't told us. You had me convinced you were in love with that loudmouth of a hokage." She said with a big smile.

Hinata suddenly blushed and responded: "Uhm.. We weren't dating."

"What do you mean?" Tenten was completely confused now.

"My father and Sasuke arranged the marriage." Hinata explained.

"What!? How could they do that to you?!", Tenten was visibly appalled.

"No, no it's fine. It's a tradition in our clan. Some of us just don't get to choose.. Who we marry." Hinata defended.

Tenten stared at her dumbfounded. "What?!... Who cares?! It's a stupid tradition! Are you ok with that?!"

Hinata was now overwhelmed with a sense of urgency to calm Tenten before anyone comes back into the room. Her face took on a firm, decisive expression. "Yes, I'm ok with that."

Tenten's voice lowered a bit in confusion. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Tenten now felt guilty for lashing out. Even if she was far from processing what Hinata had told her on any level, she softened towards her and calmed down. "Well I wish you luck." She even added a little smile.

"Me too." Ino joined in, and then continued: "You should have seen Kiba's and Shino's faces when we told them! I swear, they both looked like a heart attack!" Hinata wasn't sure whether to be worried, since Ino continued her story in overt amusement.

"Have you been sleeping?" Sakura suddenly interrupted the conversation.

Hinata quickly looked down embarrassed that Sakura's trained eye discovered her secret. "Uhm…"

Sakura added. "You're not a very good liar, are you?"

Hinata looked at her realizing Sakura has already figured it out. Even the source of her insomnia. Lies. That's something she's never had to do before. At least not like this.

"I have food pills." Ino offered. "They help you sleep perfectly. And they're non fat. I'll bring them by tonight after my shift in the flower shop. Ok?" She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Hey, aren't you cold?" Tenten asked. The comfortable conversation Hinata craved so much has obviously ended and all the attention was back on her.

"A little." She admitted.

"At your service dear bride." Tenten bowed jokingly and left the room to ask for a cover up from women, who have obviously forgotten they stripped the poor girl naked and discarded her after they were done taking measurements for their precious kimono.

-…Uchiha residence, 6pm, same day…-

Sasuke opened his front door to find the person he dreaded seeing the most asking to come in. It was the evening of the second day. Day before the agreed upon wedding. Hiashi has promised to send him the information via subordinate. The fact that he came into his house himself raised at least 20 different alarms in Sasuke's head. He opened the door letting him in. They were standing in the hallway. Sasuke had every intention of getting rid of him as soon as possible. Hiashi first looked around before he focused on unnerved Sasuke who was staring at him, his arms folded, his face murderous.

"You remember why I'm here?"

"Yes."

"Your share for the ceremony is 10000 Ryo."

"Fine." Sasuke responded and disappeared out of the room going to get the money. Only a few moments after he left him alone, Hiashi started his slow pacing. He could notice the house was old and very empty for the most part. He remembered when he was walking around it as a young man, seeing it all taped up with warning signs and inside, crawling with ANBU. He remembered them leading a mute, petrified child out of it.

Sasuke returned handing him a smaller bag containing his 4 month's salary. Hiashi opened it to look inside, closed the bag and put it on the floor. In his other hand he was holding a banded, folded fabric. Before Sasuke could suspect otherwise, he warned: "This is from my wife. It's worn over the standard kimono."

"I have everything I need." Sasuke snapped, finally feeling completely insulted. _What did they expect, how I was going to show up?! In a flak jacket?!_

_That insolent, undisciplined brat!_ Hiashi thought as he wished he was his father with his entire being. If only in that one moment, just so he could slap him across the face. But instead, he invested energy into maintaining his regular tone of voice. "It's Uchiha tradition she presumed you didn't know about. She did it entirely on her own accord."

Sasuke's irritation subsided. He realised it was just a considerate gift. Hiashi offered the packet again and Sasuke took it this time. Hiashi just stood there staring at him. Waiting… _Send my regards. Tell her thank you in my name. Say ANYTHING you impolite, traitorous, little motherfucker! _

"Anything else?" Sasuke asked.

_Yes! I want to strangle you!_

"Yes. We need to have a talk."

_-…Hyuuga household, 6:15 PM, same day…-_

"What kind of talk mother?" Hinata focused on her mother straightening herself in her chair. They were alone relaxing after a hectic day. She looked rather serious and now had her daughter's full attention.

"Hinata, you remember when you were younger and I told you where babies come from?"

Hinata's eyes widened, her jaw dropped a little and she let out a response in a weird tone of voice, without moving her lips: "Yes?"

"Well now that you'll be a married woman, it's my duty to tell you everything you need to know."

Hinata immediately lowered her eyes as her face turned a particularly bright shade of red.

"Now there is nothing wrong with that!" Her mother warned. "Hinata, look at me. Look at me."

She raised her eyes once again meeting her mother's. "There is nothing wrong with that. Sex is a completely natural thing, ok?"

The girl nodded closing her mouth, struggling with herself not to look away again. "You understand you can trust me, this is only between the two of us? Ok?"

_-…Uchiha residence, 6:16 PM, same day…-_

"What is?" Sasuke asked Hiashi.

"What I have to talk to you about. Can we sit somewhere?"

Sasuke was now mulling over the possibility that Hiashi had some agenda. Maybe he's trying to take his life after all? Get him to drop his guard? He pointed towards his dining room door. "That way." Making sure the man walks in first, allowing Sasuke not to have to turn his back on him.

"We're sitting." They sat across the table from one another.

Hiashi began: "Sasuke, seeing how you don't have a father, I find this to be a duty I have to take upon myself. You're marrying the girl I raised and loved, her entire life. I have to do this for her sake."

Sasuke waited.

"What do you know about sex?" Hiashi finally asked.

Sasuke's entire body went rigid. _Again!? And of all people, him!?_

"No." Was all the young shinobi had in response.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out."

"What do you know?"

"Get out."

"Either we do this nicely, or I come back with more men."

Sasuke stared at him. Cornered and extremely pissed off. Not only was he put in the most uncomfortable situation of his life, but... _This asshole thinks he can make up for my father? He thinks I need him to!?_ But realising he's stuck, Sasuke finally conceded to answer the question. "I know enough."

"What makes you think that?"

"I'm not a child."

"Yes you are." Hiashi quickly corrected him.

"I'm 22."

"You're a child."

"Ask me anything. If I answer your questions correctly, get out."

_-…Hyuuga household, 6:30 PM, same day…-_

"Uhm…I don't know what to ask." red faced Hinata shrugged before her mother.

"Ok, then I'll tell you the rest of what I have to say and you feel free to interrupt me any time you like, ok?"

She nodded.

"It is considered your duty as a wife and it must be an important part of your lives. Like eating, or sleeping. Only it brings you closer. Closest you've ever been to someone. Like I said, not at first. At first, it may seem scary and it may hurt, I described you the bleeding. I'm not saying it will happen exactly that way, but I'm warning you. Every girl is different. And you my love, are the most delicate girl I have ever known."

Her mother smiled happy seeing her daughter slowly relax.

"But after a while, it becomes something beautiful. Something that won't be considered a duty by any means. And after you have a child, you'll understand just how beautiful it really is. Of course you may not feel like having sex when he does at times, even then. In situations like these, yes you may still call it a duty. But keep in mind it's a duty you must always try to fulfil regardless of your own feelings. Do you remember how long pregnancy lasts?"

_-…Uchiha residence, 6:45 PM, same day…-_

"Nine months."

"Waiting period to have sex?"

"4 to 6 weeks"

"Risks for the woman?"

"Vaginal dryness, sore nipples."

Hiashi crossed his arms thinking of a question. "Contraception?"

"Condoms, drugs, chakra sealing, ovulation tracking,.."

Hiashi interrupted him. "When does a woman ovulate?

"Between day 11 and 21 of the menstrual cycle, but the information can be held as unreliable."

"What is the vulva?"

"External genitalia of the female mammal."

"How do you know all this?"

"Books."

"Are you some kind of a pervert?"

"Are you?"

Hiashi kept making longer pauses, having been firing questions for half an hour. But at this point he was staring at Sasuke as if examining him. "Will you take care of my daughter?" He finally asked.

Sasuke mildly lifted his eyebrows softening his previously menacing stare into a look of seriousness. "I'll take care of her."

Finally Hiashi looked away from him, moving his gaze towards the table. He then pulled out his chair, and placed it to its proper place standing next to it. "I'll expect to see you tomorrow at 10 am in the Nimbura shrine. Good night."

_-…Hyuuga household, 7:00 PM, same day…-_

"You get some rest love. You look a little pale after all." The woman kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I will mother."

"And remember what I said. If you have any questions you can come to me any time. Tomorrow, even tonight… 10 years from now." She suddenly started crying. "As long as I'm alive, I'll be here. Ok?" Hinata nodded, her eyes watering as well, as her mother hugged her.

"Sleep now. I'll see you early in the morning." She commanded still holding Hinata's round face in between her palms.


	4. Red Wedding

_I have to go to sleep! It's so late! Ino said she'll leave them in the kitchen so she doesn't have to bother mother. Ok let's see, food pills...Food pills… She didn't bring them after all. I'm dizzy again… _

Hinata slowly stumbled into the living room. In there, on the floor was her senile grandmother next to a bucket of water and an empty little paper bag, with crumbs all over her and the floor. Hinata smiled to herself. No matter what, her grandma always finds a way to leave her bed at night and make a mess eating somewhere in the house. She approached her, lifted her upper body carefully placing a pillow under her head. She then picked up the bag. Underneath it was a little yellow ribbon and a card with an encryption:

_Every bride needs her beauty sleep. _

_You better glow tomorrow!_

_With love, Ino. =)_

_PS. Don't take more than one. Those things can kill you. ; )_

The smile slowly evaporated of off Hinata's face as she realised what happened. She dropped the bag with the piece of paper and quickly moved towards her grandmother placing 3 fingers on the front and side of her neck. Panic overwhelmed her. Nothing. She couldn't move not wanting to believe it. And then… *badump* One. Maybe she imagined it. She pressed harder her hand shaking a bit. After a while… *badump* _She's still alive! But, she ate all of them and her pulse is so slow... We need a medic!_

Hinata ran out on the porch running around the house, jumping the fence and entering the side wing. "Ko!" She called. "Ko please wake up!"

"Yeah.. Uhm.. I'm up. I'm up." He started rubbing his eyes.

"Is Sora home?"

"No. We sent him to get the people for the reception from the city. He wanted a break. Wait, what happened, why.. Why are you crying?"

"Grandmother is sick. She could be dying." Hinata spoke teary eyed.

He suddenly lifted his torso off the bed. "She's what?!"

"We need a medic. Ino brought me very strong food pills for sleeping and grandma took them all. Maybe she thought they were food."

Ko jumped out of bed and still in pajamas started putting on his shoes. Hinata stood up as well. "I'll wake mother."

"The closest medic is 3 minutes away from the Hyuuga district. 1 minute for me." Ko looked ahead into the dark with determination, putting on his other shoe.

"Grandmother's in the living room." Hinata ran off in the opposite direction.

_-…Hyuuga bedroom…-_

"Honey, I know I told you you can ask any time, but I wasn't seriously.."

"Mum grandmother is sick, she could die." Hinata was whispering.

She yanked her head up with fear in her eyes. "Which grandmother?!"

"Dad's mother." Hinata responded with a sour expression on her face.

The woman slammed her head back into her pillow. "Do I have to?"

"Mum!" Hinata protested in an alarmed tone of voice.

"Alright, alright… Don't wake your father."

_-…3 minutes later; living room…-_

"Hinata why would your friend bring you this?" Her mother looked at her worried.

Hinata looked down. _There it is. She knows. Father will know. Everyone will know. How could I lie to them?!_

Her mother's face softened. "Oh honey, you should have told me if you were nervous. There are better remedies than food pills. You know those medics experiment half the time anyway."

Hinata nodded. "I'm sorry mother." Still hiding her eyes.

"Hand me those towels, we don't want them to get in the way. The medic might not even need them."

Ko finally entered the room with a black haired woman behind him, also in her pyjamas.

"Shizune." Hinata called her name.

"Hello Hinata. Hello Mrs. Hyuuga." She immediately leaned over the woman feeling her pulse touching her hands and forehead. Listening to her chest, checking hear breath.

"Your brother told me they were food pills for sleeping."

"Yes." Hinata confirmed not caring to correct her presumption Ko was her brother.

Shizune put on a glove, opened the woman's mouth and cleaned out a few chunks of food pill out of it, checked again… "Ok then." She took off the glove, rolled down her sleeve, took out an ampule out of her pouch, broke it over a contraption filling a plastic container of an injection and injected the woman with the liquid inside. Then repeated the process just above, on the same arm.

"That's all." she said.

"All?" Hinata's mother was surprised.

"Food pills, even though not poisonous, in large quantities can put a person in such deep sleep, their brain shuts down after a while. Your daughter was right to send for me. It was fortunate her heartbeat was still present when I got here. I gave her two shots. That should excite a part of her central nervous system back into action and flush the excess of the drug out of her bloodstream. After a strong dose, we have to wait for the patient to adjust their brain function and wake up on their own. You mustn't give her adrenaline, or any battle drug of that sort to wake her up."

"Thank you so much. My mother in law is not the easiest person to get along with, but I was really scared just now." Hinata's mother smiled.

Shizune smiled back. "Happy to help. You just make sure she's comfortable and she'll be fine. She should wake up after about 12 to 20 hours depending on her dose and will be back to normal when she does." She got up and collected her things. "Good night."

"Good night." mother and daughter responded in unison.

"Love, you're much stronger that I am, please take the body and I'll lift the legs." They put her back into bed.

"You wouldn't have any adrenaline on you, would you?" Her mother grinned.

Hinata silently laughed in relief "No mother."

"Oh you know I'm joking. Yeah! Why would I not be joking about this?" She laughed sardonically as they left the old woman's room.

-…5 am, Hyuuga living room…-

"Hinata dear did you sleep last night?" The woman in charge of her face asked.

"Not really." She looked at her mother.

Her mother replied. "Ah, we had a little mishap and she was a little nervous. It's nothing you can't fix." She smiled at her friend.

"Well of course, but it's such a shame the poor girl didn't sleep."

Another woman added: "I think it's adorable. She's so nervous."

The one sowing a pattern on Hinata's back responded: "Ask the husband if he thinks it's adorable tomorrow."

"Aww come on, one night can't hurt her." the woman putting the powder on her face defended her. "She's a shinobi, she's tough." She winked at Hinata who smiled.

"Where's the obi?"

"Did we overdo it with the white?"

"Let's just let that bit of her hair down."

-…Uchiha household; 8 am…-

"Ha! He looks like a woman!" Naruto was laughing sitting on his kitchen table looking in Sasuke's bedroom, with him just having opened his door.

"It's called Hakama, it's men's wear." Shikamaru responded.

"He still looks like a woman." Naruto grinned mockingly.

"Shouldn't you be at work idiot?" Sasuke asked while he was putting on the coat of his kimono, with the Uchiha crest sown on the upper back, and with small, sun like, white shapes on the front on each side and back of his sleeves, made by Hinata's mother.

"I have time." Naruto responded far too amused. "Hey, you forgot your cotton balls! Do these go in your vagina?"

Shikamaru was trying to remain serious. "Naruto haven't you ever been to a wedding?"

"No." Naruto reduced his smile.

"You can keep laughing, but if you ever marry, it's how you'll look as well."

Finally Naruto was silent. After a while, his face turned red and he seemed to have drifted off. Shikamaru snapped his fingers in front of his nose. This one flinched as if under attack. "What?!"

"I'm done." Sasuke who was tying his sword under his haori himo (cotton balls) called.

"Hey, the groom can't take a sword to his wedding." Shikamaru warned.

Sasuke ignored him. "Watch me."

"It's a sign of antagonism. Are you sure you want to piss off Hiashi?"

Sasuke just smiled happily, not answering the question. Shikamaru looked at him suspicious. "When we get there, Kiba and I are going in, in place of your family. You have to walk behind us. Then they'll place you next to Hinata themselves. I explained how the rest of the ceremony works." He added.

"I got it."

"As soon as I'm done with work, I'm there." Naruto jumped off the table facing Shikamaru. "Did you check the guest lists?"

"We have representatives from almost every clan including mine. Most guests are personal friends, plenty of Hyuuga, 4 people coming from outside of Konoha, they should have passes, and only one council member doesn't seem to care about kissing Hiashi's ass, all the rest are coming."

"Who?"

"Danzo's grandson."

"So can I infiltrate my ANBU in there, or not? How many people?"

"Including the catering from the city, 235."

"Who are the four outsiders?"

"Daimyo's men."

"Daimyo? What does he have to do with the Hyuuga?"

"Beats me, it could be courtesy."

"Do they do this for every wedding?"

"If they don't, we ought to remember their names." Shikamaru nodded staring at the list.

"Well if that's it, I gotta go. I have spies to prepare." Naruto smiled.

"You can trust the guys I picked out are still loyal to you. I had Yamanaka filter out a part of your ANBU that were recently returned to Konoha last night. The files on the ones who failed the test are with Shizune. Most are converts who lost their allegiance during S ranks."

"Thank you." Naruto nodded and called out to Sasuke "You're dashing!"

"Get out." Sasuke finally snapped at him.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving. No need to throw a hissy fit." He mocked him one last time before he disappeared.

-…in front of the Nimbura shrine, 10 am…-

"Look at her!"

"I made that kimono."

"You did not! Adults did."

"Shut up Hana."

"Oh my, did he bring a sword?"

"He's a shinobi, what do you expect?"

"To a wedding?"

"I think it makes him look handsome."

"You think anything makes him look handsome."

"Hey!"

"Girls! Shush."

"Yes elder Hachinko."

In the middle of the road leading up the the shrine were Hinata and Sasuke followed by a slow moving cortege. The ceremony was short, the music was high pitched and extremely irritating. They didn't exchange a single word from the moment they met that morning, until they approached the celebration hall. Sasuke didn't know what he was doing half the time, which is why he used most of his focus on peripheral vision. His bangs, he purposely didn't cut for a while, were casting a curtain in front of his eyes, hiding the activated sharingan. _If it works on hand signs, it has to work on a stupid ceremony._ He thought.

Afterwards, they were lead in the large courtyard outside of the shrine with dining tables placed on it, surrounded by large and wide wooden benches. The smaller, head table on its beginning and the rest arranged in rows across the entire yard, placed vertically compared to the head table reserved for the bride and groom. "You have to go in first." Hinata mouthed the words to Sasuke one second before they entered the courtyard. He quickly stepped forward. "Extend your hand to me." She mouthed the second sentence as he went past her.

After everyone was seated, Hinata felt like she was on display again. It seemed like it would never end. Everyone present could see the two of them. Slightly elevated and separated like a pair of statues for decoration.

Sasuke finally turned to her and asked: "Did you see my sharingan?"

Hinata lifted her shoulders defensively responding with an uncomfortable smile. "No, don't worry."

"Why did you mouth instructions to me, if you didn't know I could read them?"

"I didn't see your sharingan, but I uhm. I saw your hands."

"What about my hands?"

"They were moving just like mine. Precisely like mine. Way too precisely." She explained.

Sasuke looked away from her finally sharing some of the nervousness. She turned her eyes front as well. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think anyone else knows. The only people who could see both of us at the same time were the shrine people who were in front of us, and they are not shinobi."

"I know." he responded.

And it's how the silence set in. They had nothing to say to one another. But Sasuke wasn't bothered, nor was Hinata. She was bothered by something entirely else. A particular blonde head, which was missing from the crowd. She kept examining the area, desperate to spot him, but fully aware she wasn't allowed to use her byakugan as it would be considered impolite.

"How long do we have to stay here?" Sasuke asked turning to her again.

"The whole day. Tonight at 10 pm, I have to go back to my house and you have to follow half an hour later. My father will bring me out, you have to greet him, take my hand and then walk to your home with me, followed by my him, mother and my cousins."

"I know how the ceremony ends. I'm asking how long do we have to stay on this stupid display? Up here."

"Oh." Hinata smiled with understanding. "Until after the meal. That gong will be hit and then we can move around and talk to other people. The guests will come and go. Anyone who comes later we have to greet."

"Are you sick?" He finally asked what he suspected for a while now as he was talking to her.

"Uhm.. No." She looked away from him.

"The makeup put on your face is used by women to whiten their complexion. Your skin is whiter underneath it."

"I'm… I'm not sick."

"Are you an imposter?"

"No! I promise." Hinata panicked. "I just didn't sleep."

He looked at the table and took a glass of cherry tomato juice in front of him. "Why?"

"I had a problem. Well…You see, I… I can't lie."

Sasuke who was mid-swallow almost inhaled his drink, spat a mouthful out and started restraining his coughing, wanting to appear unfazed. Hinata panicked again correcting herself. "I didn't mean I can never lie! I mean I can. I'm just not so good at it!"

When he started breathing again he urgently asked the only question on his mind: "Did you tell anyone about the mission?!"

"No! I would never! Only I was afraid of being found out so I was nervous. I lied to them. That's why." She reassured him. "But not sleeping helped me act. Because I was tired I couldn't be nervous and no one could tell I was lying."

Sasuke put his glass away. In that moment they could both hear her stomach growl. He raised his eyebrows. "You didn't eat either?"

Hinata defended with a fake smile: "I'm just thirsty now. There is plenty of food here."

A waiter approached the table at Sasuke's request. He realised people saw him spit out his drink, so he had to appear to have disliked it.

"Bring us water. And take this away." The waiter left. "You should have told us. We would have gotten you out of there 3 days ago."

"How?" She turned to him confused.

"If your father can pull traditions out of his ass, so can I. Naruto can assign you missions. We would have figured it out." He was slightly irritated now. "Are you dizzy?"

"Yes… How do you know?"

"I know what it's like. How did you walk here?"

"I took a battlefield emergency shot before others woke up. The one with ephedrine."

"If you're dizzy, it wore off. So just lean on me and sleep."

"What?" Hinata blushed looking at him.

"Put your head on my shoulder and sleep. You have to walk from your house to mine, with half of your family watching tonight."

"But if they see me sleep now…"

"I'll talk to you from time to time, they'll think you're casually resting, or being affectionate. After a while, you sleeping won't seem out of place since it can be attributed to a lazy nap."

"Ok." Hinata hesitantly and awkwardly put her head on Sasuke's shoulder, extremely nervous and uncomfortable.

"Wrap your hands around my arm." Hinata looked at him. "You look like you're stretching your neck. Wrap your hands around my arm."

She was finally leaning on Sasuke, doing her best to forget that he was basically a stranger to her.

A few minutes later, he took a glass of water with his other hand, and she lifted her head as she felt him move.

"You should be out by now."

"I'm sorry."

"Try again." Hinata put her head back into place. Sasuke added. "You are not lying anymore, I am. And unlike you, I'm good at it. Trust me."

"Hm." Hinata nodded pressing her lips together in determination and closed her eyes. But adrenaline pumping through her body wasn't going away. She was on display and she was not about to forget that any time soon.

"Don't move away, just look up at me." Sasuke instructed after he realised her breathing wasn't slowing down. He has turned his head sideways and down, having his hair hide both sides of his face. She lifted her gaze and saw a pair of red glowing eyes. And that was the last thing she saw before darkness enveloped her.

_-…middle of the side table to the left; 8 minutes earlier…-_

"You're still jealous." Ino remarked teasingly chewing on a piece of fruit.

Sakura quickly looked away from the main table, specifically Hinata's nervous, smiling face. Looked ahead embarrassed and replied. "Me too."

"Excuse me?"

"That's all you had to say to Hinata. Me too."

"That's not all I said!" Ino complained appalled.

"And you're accusing _me_ of jealousy?"

"Fine, I won't tease you anymore. But you don't make up crazy theories either."

"Hey Sakura, are you eating that?" Choji who was sitting next to her along with 8 other members of his family at that table, asked.

Ino remarked surprised. "Choji that's her fruit. You never eat fruit."

"I know, but my cousin wants it. He loves fruit."

"Yoo! Hoo!" Choji's mother called the annoyed waiter for the billionth time. She looked at him offering a bright smile and asked. "Uhm, is that what I think it is?" Pointing at a large glass pot filled with cherry tomato juice he has just taken from the head table. "Ma'am this was on someone else's table just now. I'll gladly bring you a new one. It's a matter of quality of our service."

"Nonsense! It hasn't been touched. You agree Chouza, right?"

"What? Oh, of course anything you want honey." He was talking to Kizashi Haruno next to him, not even noticing.

She looked at him sweetly. "Go on. Put it down. You can do it. There you go!"

The man hesitated, but put the pot in front of her and walked away confused as if just having been brainwashed. The lady poured herself a glass, gobbling it down all at once. Then another. This one took two sips. She smiled happy. "My sweet tomato juice!" She started pouring the third glass, when her hands cramped. She dropped the pot and the red juice spilled all over the table. She on the other hand looked like she was having a heart attack. "Mum!" Choji who noticed first exclaimed.

She started pushing against the back support of the wooden bench with full force, breaking through it, falling down on the floor, on her back, in spasms. Her husband got out of his seat and dropped on the ground kneeling next to her. "Honey?!" He lifted her head as she stopped moving, slowly turning blue in the face. Then purple. Then green. People surrounding her stared confused as the woman went through all the colours of the rainbow in no particular order, finally returning to her normal skin colour. Everyone just stood there motionless. No one sure what they were waiting for. Suddenly the woman opened her eyes and jumped up bumping her husband's forehead with her own. They both exclaimed "Ouch!" before Choji moved forward to hug her. "Mom!"

Kizashi suddenly asked. "What happened?"

The woman replied with a serious look on her face. "I was poisoned." Everyone gasped as if at the same time. Some were just flat out confused.

Immediately Choza joined in with the questioning: "What kind was it?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I never tasted it before. Oh I was so stupid! I knew the taste was off by a margin but I refused to believe it. I was too happy to find tomato juice."

"Are we supposed to understand this?" Ino who was standing next to Sakura turned to her. Sakura shook her head without a word.

Choza stood up looked at all the confused shinobi around. "We, Akimichi clan are not as famous for our ability to be completely impenetrable to poison. Same reason we cannot lose weight. Our cells immediately recover and regenerate when damaged from the inside. Long ago, most of us worked as tasters for daimyos, lords and anyone who could afford us. Whoever put poison in my wife's drink, could be targeting anyone in here. She is fine, so we must focus on them. Ino, go quickly and warn the kitchen. Sakura and Choji, walk around the area, see if there are any people that look out of place to you. Santa, go hit that gong!" The orange haired Yamaka nodded and before soon, the sound echoed through the courtyard accompanied by decreased chatter among the crowd. "Who brought you the juice?" He turned to his wife.

"Sir." A young Nara tapped Choza's shoulder. He turned around. "You found something?"

"Sir look around. This is the only pot of tomato juice in here."

"That man brought it to me." Choji's mother pointed at the busy waiter walking back and forth among the guests.

Choza grabbed the almost empty pot off the table, jumped over the table drawing attention of 80% of the room to himself. "Where did you get this pot?" He wasn't even particularly aggressive about it, but all this waiter knew was that this huge man suddenly shook the ground under him by falling from the sky, and threw this pot in front of his face. He lifted his shivering hand, pointing at Sasuke and Hinata's table.


	5. Kindness

As soon as Sasuke saw a finger pointed at him, he released the genjutsu. Hinata started to slowly open her eyes adjusting to the light, only to notice the entire courtyard was staring at her and Sasuke. Her face turned red and she straightened her body next to him, letting go of his arm. "Sit still, it's fine." He spoke to her, preventing her from moving away and presenting the distance that really exists between them to everyone.

Choza was approaching them.

"Did I do something?" she asked slightly scared.

"No. The gong was hit."

As soon as he was close enough for them to hear, Choza asked in a pretty loud voice: "Did you eat, or drink anything else on your table?"

"I drank water." Sasuke responded.

The man was now right in front of them. "And that's all?"

"Yes. What is going on?"

"The pot of cherry tomato juice you sent back was poisoned. It is possible that anything else on your table might be as well, so please don't touch anything." He now ran back going towards the entrance in which several on-duty shinobi started to appear. Hiashi looked pissed off and has disappeared going inside the temple, followed by a man dressed in a suit, wearing headphones. Similar to many who surrounded the area, most likely from the city.

The elders looked unfazed. All of them. They even continued to eat their food happily discussing the situation as if it was a memory, and not a current event. Shocked Hinata looked at the table. Treats, meat, rice… To think she contemplated eating some first, since she couldn't fall asleep. Chatter among the guests was growing louder and louder

Suddenly Hiashi returned with the man back into the room and sat at his table next to his wife. The man wearing a suit stepped in the middle of the podium, activated the device on his ear, what now everyone realized was a microphone and spoke: "Everyone, due to a problem with the food, we'll be cancelling lunch. Otora catering will do their best to make up it up to you by the end of the reception. Now we're asking all guests to leave the courtyard for us to organise the party area and the amusement stands. We hope you'll have a pleasant day."

Sasuke looked at Hinata. "Did you get any sleep?"

"No." She shook her head. "All I saw was dark, but I couldn't really sleep…I don't know why."

"I isolated you. It was a genjutsu."

"Oh." she looked down sad. Half of the guests have already left the courtyard.

"Do you think you can walk normally?"

"I can walk, but…"

"What if I carried you?"

She blushed slightly alarmed. "No, you can't do that. Before you walk me home it is considered extremely inappropriate."

"Fine. We'll step down from here and you fall pretending you broke your ankle. Until I get you another battlefield injection, claim you can't stand on your foot properly."

"I can't do that. Father trains with me."

"You never tripped before?"

"Actually… I did, but..."

"That settles it."

"I don't think..."

"Leave it to me."

She looked at him confused. He got up, offered her his hand. She stepped forward, and on his cue, slipped past the first stair and dropped to the ground, not at all appearing as if having lost balance. Some of the guests turned to look at her. Hinata's family were all staring now. Sasuke touched her ankle and released electricity through it, causing excruciating pain. "Ah!" She responded with a sour expression on her face. People started gathering around them. Hiashi appeared next to her and looked down at the spot on her ankle from which Sasuke has just removed his hand. His expression darkened and he looked at her with a sort of a disappointment in his eyes. A look Sasuke recognized. A look he remembered from long ago…

Hinata turned away embarrassed, unable to handle eye contact. Hiashi took her in his arms and carried her back inside the temple, seating her on the left stairs next to the altar. She was finally secluded, hidden in the curves of the small spiralling stairs. Sasuke appeared in front of Shikamaru. "I need a battlefield injection." He told him.

"Now?!"

"Just find one." He insisted and went back into the crowd moving towards the courtyard.

_-…3 minutes later…-_

"Mrs Hyuuga, can you leave us?" The woman who was sitting next to her daughter looked at Sasuke and answered. "Of course." Immediately getting up, offering him her spot on the narrow stair next to Hinata. He sat down and looked at her confused as to why she's not leaving.

She smiled brightly at him. "I see you wore my present."

Sasuke looked down at his Haori. "Yes. Thank you for that."

"I'll leave you two alone." She added in glee and disappeared as if having forgotten Hinata was (supposedly) injured just now. When she left, Sasuke moved his haori uncovering a small paper bag with colourful, sweet rice balls. "Eat." He handed her the food.

"Thank you." She took them and stared at them in hesitation. "I've been nothing but a burden to you. I'm sorry." She said with a painful strain in her voice.

"So eat, don't apologize." He repeated.

"I'm sorry. Uhm..!" She looked down blushing. He just sat there in silence waiting for her to eat already. But he wasn't mad at her, or even annoyed with her. All that was stuck in his head was the look of disappointment on Hiashi's face and her reaction. Her pleading not to perform that trick in front of her father. Could it have been that the thing he was feeling was…guilt?

Now that annoyed him.

_-…5 dumplings later…-_

"Sasuke, I've completely forgotten! Do you.. Did you want some?"

"If I wanted some, I would have brought more."

"Oh…Right." She responded nervously, putting the last chunk in her mouth.

He looked at her. _What now? Is she feeling guilty for asking me a question? _"I don't like sweets." He added. _Just stop with that expression already._

"Really?" she looked up slightly surprised.

"Yes really." he repeated glad that sour mood was replaced by curiosity.

She turned her gaze back to the front. "Sakura!"

Sakura who has just climbed up towards them smiled at Hinata, moving her eyes towards Sasuke only when she was close enough that she couldn't postpone it any longer. "You asked for a battlefield injection?" she asked serious.

"She needs one. She didn't sleep for 3 days."

Sakura turned to Hinata surprised, obviously having had no idea how sleep deprived Hinata truly was. "Sasuke, leave us alone." She expected him to return her gaze, but he disappeared out of his seat before she could catch another glimpse of his eyes.

"This one goes in your thigh. It's not standard exactly, but it's the best we could find right now."

Hinata nodded and took the injection placing it under her clothing and pressing it in. "Ok, now stay still for a bit." Sakura's hand glew with green chakra over the spot on her leg, where Hinata was injected, and the lingering pain disappeared.

"It should kick in, in about 60 seconds." She smiled and got up leaving Hinata alone.

"Sasuke."

He turned around. "You're done?"

"Are you ok?"

"Did you give her the shot?"

"I heard you almost drank..."

"Did you?"

"Yes, I did. Are, you.. Are you ok?"

"Don't concern yourself with me. You're on the mission with her."

"I'm here for you too." She corrected him, her eyebrows furrowing. He remained serious and continued ignoring her remark: "Where is Naruto?"

"He's still in his office. Kiba is going to get him."

"I want you to find Shino Aburame and tell him to inspect the vehicles and all the cargo."

"But Shino is a guest. He would be insulting the Hyuuga family!" Sakura protested.

"This is a mission, not a wedding." He appeared slightly aggravated by this.

She was looked him wide eyed. Hearing him say that meant something. It gave her relief she didn't know it would. "I'll ask him." Before she left…" Sasuke."

"Yes?"

"If you feel sick, or odd in any way... Tell me right away." her face softened.

"I will." he nodded slightly smiling.

She blushed, smiled back and disappeared in the crowd.

Having no way of knowing who to trust at this point, Naruto and Shikamaru have developed elaborate trust circles. Each circle contained people Naruto could trust more than the previous, and the smallest one were also people that he could employ in espionage, or battle on his side, as first on the list of candidates. Perpetual standby. In that inner circle were no other than Naruto's former academy classmates: Shikamaru, Kiba, Sasuke, Shino, Choji and Lee. If one of them was called upon by Naruto, or Sasuke and Shikamaru by proxy, they could safely assume it's a top secret mission. So far, the system hasn't failed and Shikamaru had no intention of changing it until they could bring balance back into Konoha rule.

_-…the shrine courtyard; 20 minutes later…-_

Sasuke and Hinata were walking through the courtyard being greeted and followed by everyone in there. Sasuke now missed that little display they were once sitting on. At least there, no one could talk to them. They were forced to give everyone a chance to approach them and congratulate, and/or kiss Hiashi's butt, depending on their preferences.

It was well known throughout the village that Hiashi was next in line to become the next councilman, once his father passed away. On top of that, it was obvious he was currently the richest person in Konoha, given the alliances he formed in and out of the village. That is the reason Shikamaru had no issue with Sasuke getting a kick out of pissing Hiashi off. Shikamaru was watching Hiashi like a hawk. He needed him on their side and he needed to know he can trust him one day. So if Hiashi was under the impression that they are not trying to get close to him through Sasuke, he would be more likely to drop his guard around him and the rest of Naruto's henchmen, allowing Shikamaru to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"Haniko, my beautiful dove." her grandmother was squeezing her hands.

"Hinata, grandmother." She corrected her.

"What?"

"I'm glad you're finally awake." Hinata smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss my granddaughter's wedding!" She grinned licking her wrinkled lower lip and pulled Hinata slightly sideways, lowered her voice a bit, still clearly heard heard by everyone around. "Hanabi, I know I'm a bit late, but… Where do I begin. I'm so old. It's been a while. He, he. Do you..? Do you know where condoms come from?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Hinata has turned completely red. "Grandmother…Y—You don't need to..!" She exclaimed panicking.

"And that's enough." Sasuke pulled Hinata's hands out of the old woman's and led her away, pushing her with his palm on her upper back.

"Hanade!" Her grandmother called out.

She turned her head smiling to the old lady and raised her hand in greeting, cheering her up, just a moment before the woman seemed to have yet again, forgotten where she is.

Once they were outside the party area Sasuke stopped exhaling, finally giving up and getting openly angry, staring at the crowd behind Hinata. "What is wrong with your family?"

"Uhm Sasuke, all families... That's how families are. They worry about you and they can be a little, weird I guess..." She responded with a meek smile, slowly returning to her normal skin colour. Her sympathy for him was written on her entire face. It killed his built up anger, since it surprised him to think _she_ had a reason to pity _him_ after what just happened.

Suddenly Naruto ran out of the crowd releasing his kyuubi mode when he spotted Sasuke and Hinata, previously having activated it to find them.

"Yo Sasuke! Thank goodness! Kiba told me you were poisoned!"

"I did NOT say that!" Kiba who has caught up behind him protested.

"Fuck you Kiba!"

"I did not say poisoned! I said almost!"

"You said poisoned! You told me he was dead!"

"I did not say that!"

"You did!"

"You're acting like a hysterical mother!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"I'm the hokage! YOU shut up!"

"And I'm off duty, so YOU shut up!"

"Well, I can call you in on duty any time I want!"

"Oh yeah!?"

"Yeah!"

They paused staring angry at each other for a while.

"But you're not gonna, are you?"

"I'd rather kill myself than abuse the hokage title."

They both shrugged nodding, agreeing to end the shouting contest.

"But don't ever lie to me like that again." Naruto added in a scolding tone of voice.

"I did NOT…Aaaargh!" Kiba yelled angry and stomped back into the crowd.

"Good riddance." Naruto said grumpily before he turned back to Sasuke and Hinata. Besides noticing Hinata profusely blushing in his presence, like she always does, she was staring at the ground and actually smiling. As if she didn't read the atmosphere.

He smiled back nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Did I miss anything?"

Sasuke looked to the side slightly blushing himself. "Nothing."

"Are you really ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Kiba said..."

"Just drop it." Sasuke interrupted refusing to look back. Now Hinata giggled a bit and looked at Naruto, her smile growing wider.

"What?! What did I miss?!"

_-...Nimbura shrine courtyard; 9:55 pm…-_

The guests have dispersed and the sun has set. The only ones left were Naruto and the people he trusted, which included Sasuke who was was purposely left behind by the Hyuuga. He was supposed to stay away from the Hyuuga residence until 10 pm. At one last table were still a few people drinking. The crew from the city packing up the stands.

"And everything was clear?"

"Yes." The ANBU nodded.

"Alright. Have them followed for up to 6 days." Naruto confirmed.

"Sir." The ANBU disappeared.

Shino appeared next to Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru. "I found the container. An orange juice bottle. It was smuggled in here."

"Tomato juice is my favourite drink."

"And they knew that?"

"How would I know?" Sasuke looked at Naruto annoyed.

"This is good." Shikamaru finally spoke. "They were obviously targeting Sasuke. You don't confront kage level shinobi head on. You poison them."

"How is that good?" Naruto asked confused.

"They resorted to poison. They feel threatened. We don't know who our enemies are, but their influence in Konoha is threatened by this marriage. That's why we can know something, maybe even more important than their identity… They don't have as much power as we feared. If we get Sasuke in, we'll hold 40% of the council, so they must not even have that much."

"I'm preparing alliances outside the village. Whoever they are, I'll crush them from every direction once they show themselves." Naruto replied frevorously.

"That reminds me Naruto, where is Lee?" Shikamaru asked.

"I sent him North."

"Naruto, that's what falcons are for."

"The samurai demand a human messenger at every turn. Don't ask me, it's some honour code thing for them."

"Fine, I'll take Choji in Lee's stead tomorrow. Choji will be sent back ahead of us if we're caught."

"No, I sent Choza to the capitol. He's with those clowns that work under Daimyo. Send Choji to his father and have him form a rescue squad for you if it comes to that. Their new chuunin will deliver Choji's information to me."

Sasuke intervened. "Don't break up one mission to create a faster back up for another idiot."

"You're way too impractical Naruto." Shikamaru agreed.

"You think I'd leave my friends behind? I'd go down there myself if I had to!" Naruto protested angered by the two of them.

"Ok, I get it. I wasn't asking for a speech, I just want to go home and sleep dude." Shikamaru calmed him, now stretching his back satisfied he's done with work.

"Alright." Naruto relaxed. "See you tomorrow."

"Right, see ya." He started walking away. "And good luck in your marriage Sasuke." This one didn't reply.

"Hey Uchiha!" Both Naruto and him turned around. It was a member of the Hyuuga clan. A young man neither of them knew. He continued. "Get down here."

Soon the two of them were standing in front of the Hyuuga front door. "Why is the hokage here?"

"I was, well…I thought I'd.." Naruto began unsure.

"Private family matter. Not even the hokage can stay."

"Ok, ok, I'll..!" Suddenly Hinata came out assisted by her mother and another female family member, who was dressed in medical scrubs. Her father and several cousins walked out behind them. Hinata was dressed in a regular light purple kimono and was barely walking. There were white bandages around her head and under her bangs. "What the faa.?!" Slipped out of Naruto's mouth.

Hinata's cousin ignored him. "Hokage, sir, you have to leave."

"Why is she sick?!" Naruto looked outraged.

"Not everyone handles the sealing the same way. Some people handle it well, some have trouble for a few days."

The sealing completely slipped Naruto's mind and on top of this, he had no idea what state her body was in with all the battlefield drugs and sleep deprivation, when she was undergoing the sealing process. At this point their effect had to have disappeared. His gut clenched. He looked at Sasuke, whose expression was unaffected. Blank, void of all emotion. To Naruto, there was something almost cruel about it. Not usually, but now… Why would Sasuke have to be himself _now_? This was because Naruto knew what Hinata needed. Someone to smile at her, to tell her she can do it, to make her keep going.

He knew he himself could do it. Offer that support. Be there. He, unlike Sasuke wasn't a brick wall! He thought feeling frustrated. He wanted to stay just long enough for her to see him. But her gaze was lowered, focused on walking. She was speaking in a low tone of voice. Speaking to her mother about something he couldn't discern from that distance.

"Hokage Uzumaki, Hyuuga clan has complete autonomy in these matters, you could cause trouble." The young man warned in an urgent tone of voice.

While Hinata was speaking, a small smile cracked across her lips. Naruto took a step back when he spotted it, but he still wasn't leaving.

"Go to Sakura." Sasuke suddenly said to him, not turning around, his eyes fixed on Hinata. Of course, what Naruto did outside of work was never any of Sasuke's concern. There was a clear understanding between the two of them of what he meant by this: Send Sakura to my house and have her wait for us.

"Alright." Naruto responded as he took his second step back and disappeared.

_-…somewhere on the way…-_

Uchiha district was once outside of Konoha borders. But after the village was rebuilt and re-inhabited, the borders have moved, population increased and the district found itself somewhere to the side, not even on the edge of the village. By foot, at the civilian pace they were going, it was a 40 minute walk.

At this point, the girl was clinging to Sasuke. They were instructed to hold a handkerchief that connected them, as tradition required, but as soon as they started moving, she began to wobble and Sasuke grabbed her, putting his arm around her waist on one side, holding her other side by the upper arm near the shoulder. Everyone attributed her behaviour to the reaction to being sealed. No one protested, even if they were made uncomfortable by this violation.

10 minutes in and her "walking" has now become redundant as she relied on Sasuke more and more. It irritated him that he had to play this game of pretend walking with her. He was basically carrying her in an upright position like a rag doll. At this point young shinobi just picked her up without stopping and continued, ignoring the glares he could almost feel at the back of his head. She was asleep as soon as her head touched his chest.

"Sasuke!" Hiashi exclaimed after him.

"What?" He turned around displaying the sleeping girl in his arms.

Everyone stopped as slightly confused. Even Hiashi had nothing to add. Her female cousin, the medic, immediately approached, her hand glowing, examining her chest and her head. "She's fine. She fell asleep." The girl noted.

Sasuke added serious "This is a waste of time." and then turned around before he bounced off the ground and disappeared down the road, immediately followed by Hiashi who was walking in front of his other family members who followed suit. The only non-shionbi in the group, Hinata's mother was promptly picked up by her brother, Hinata's uncle who carried her forward.

Hiashi was definitely angry. The walk has its symbolism and he is a man to honour tradition. But Sasuke wasn't. Maybe he could have been forgiven for holding, even picking Hinata up. But he didn't even care enough to walk the distance with her in his arms. He ran.

They were in front of his house in 5 minutes. She was barefoot as her wooden slippers have fallen off. People behind him had picked them up. He put her down and she was literally sleeping while standing, leaning on him, because he had to unlock the door, after which he picked her up again and put her in the bedroom. Her cousins just casually followed him inside bringing in her things. He stopped them instructing them not to go past the entrance hallway. He came outside and bowed to everyone.

A few responded hesitantly. Another tradition seemed to have been ignored, but Sasuke didn't bother to inquire as to what kind anymore. He was sick of everything.

"Good night."

And the doors were shut.

Something inside Hiashi split open. He wanted to yell and cry. He felt cheated and as if having betrayed Hinata. _Leaving her with that insolent..! What did I do?! _He had no idea it would hurt like this when he finally had to let go. Spontaneously, as if forgetting rules of common courtesy for byakugan users in Konoha, Hiashi turned on his byakugan looking inside Sasuke's house.

_-…inside the house…-_

Hiashi immediately ran towards the house and barged in crushing the front door lock, quickly followed by unnerved family members. Inside were Sasuke and Sakura standing right there in the hallway and talking. He took one look at the girl in the red kimono he frequently saw with his daughter at the wedding.

"Explain." He almost yelled at the pink haired medic, in his head, worst of scenarios as to why she was there.

"Sir I was worried about.."

"I sent for her." Sasuke interrupted Sakura's well prepared speech.

"… You don't trust me to deal with the sealing practices of my own clan?!" He asked now openly and visibly angry.

"I don't care what you do in your own clan." Sasuke responded spitefully, well aware this was like salt on Hiashi's wounded pride. And indeed, the man was speechless.

"Thank you." a high pitched voice came from the back of the group. Hinata's mother stepped forward. Hiashi's jaw dropped a little. If there was something his wife almost never did, that's publically speak up contradicting him. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time she contradicted him at all.

"I am glad my daughter is with someone who is this kind to her after all that happened. I feel blessed." She smiled and bowed to Sasuke. The room was in dead silence. Sasuke didn't know how to react either. He was described as many things in his life, but kind was never one of them. The woman calmly continued. "Sakura, as I understand it, you are the best medic the entire Fire country has to offer."

Sakura blushed. "I wouldn't say that..."

"But I was told you are. Please, what do you think about my daughter's condition?"

"She reacted badly to the sealing, but she has a very strong chakra flow and immune system. When the body goes into overdrive in one department in order to protect itself, it shuts down another, or harms the rest of the system to compensate. Asleep like this, she should be fine, and will remain well if the seal doesn't cause any other reaction in the next couple of days. I gave her regenerative medication as a precaution."

The room was in silence again. No one turning to look at him, but everyone waiting for Hiashi to do something. Say something… Anything.

He finally looked at Sakura and Sasuke. "Thank you." he bowed. No one was sure to whom he was speaking, nor did he specify. After, he just walked out of the house, slowly followed by everyone else.

Last one to walk out, Sakura, looked back saying. "Good night." But she couldn't catch that last glimpse of Sasuke's eyes. He was just staring at travel bags on his hallway floor before he finally picked them up carrying them away. "Good night Sakura."

* * *

**- Author's Note - **

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed my story. **

**Seeing you guys here really cheers me up and motivates me to keep writing. Even the fellows who crawl into a nest and lurk temporarily... xD **

**So thank you! ^^**


	6. Honeymoon

Curled up on the edge of the king sized bed, Hinata was shivering as if having fallen asleep in the snow. It confused Sasuke since the temperature in the room wasn't that low. He put a blanket over her.

Back in 10 minutes with a toothbrush in his mouth, looking for a razor, he could see she was still shaking. If not more now than before. That's when he put a second blanket on her.

The third time around, he was walking towards his nightstand while wiping his wet face with a towel. He needed a shirt. She was still curled up, still shaking. Sasuke put down his towel and placed the third blanket on her. They were big, piled on like that, they seemed like they were crushing her. But as time went on, her body heat must have circled inside and she started to relax.

Tired, he finished placing paper seals on his house, activated the security system and crawled into bed grateful this dreadful day has finally ended.

And just as his thoughts started to fade into oblivion and as his body started to relax, he felt 4 knuckles of a relaxed little hand touching his back. He flinched at the touch uncomfortable and turned to look what Hinata was doing. She seemed to have turned to her other side while sleeping and was now curled up facing him.

This didn't go over well with Sasuke. Sasuke doesn't share. He never had to share. His whole life, he slept in a state of alarm, ready to wake up ready for a fight at the slightest sign he wasn't alone. He couldn't possibly relax with someone glued to his back like this. He moved away towards the edge of his side of the bed, giving her more space.

In 30 seconds or so, he could feel a lot of heat radiating right behind his spine. No she didn't just flip. She was moving. Crawling across the bed looking for a heat source like a bug in the dark. And now she was once again touching his back, this time with both her forehead and the knuckles of her hands. Once again, he moved a few centimetres to the edge, away from Hinata and closed his eyes.

Nope, she followed.

Sasuke exhaled exasperated. He just wanted to sleep. He tried making peace with his position at the edge of the bed and tried to finally sleep.

But even that was too much to ask of the heat parasite behind him. The 3 blankets he has previously put on her, were all on her. He was somewhat cold, but he didn't mind sleeping uncovered. But Hinata did mind. Since she has crawled over to his side of the bed, she has slipped away from under the blankets that were once covering her and they were now only partially on her body. So she was pulling them towards herself and Sasuke. Sasuke turned his head to see what in the world was she doing, when a huge blanket pile, rolled up in a very messy way, found itself on top him and Hinata. She just nuzzled up against him and disappeared under the blanket ball.

Sasuke stared at all this for a few seconds trying to figure out when and how did she do this. He exhaled and decided he had to be smarter than this. She was like a bug, so all he needed was a better heat source to pull her away from him.

He got up, fixed the bed and placed the blankets on her once again, now straitening them. She was shivering again.

He found a little mobile heater that ran on coal. He put it next to the bed, blew fire into it and left it there next to, what was previously his side, that she moved into. He then fell into her spot, happy to finally get some sleep.

15 minutes later something woke him up. The smell of..Burning? Hair! A flashback from one of his fights came before his eyes as he quickly turned around.

That long haired, heat parasite was hanging of the bed, with her face a couple of centimetres away from the burning stove and a few locks of her hair in the fire.

He pulled her back into bed extinguishing her. Cold, she once again started turning towards the stove. Automatically, he grabbed the back collar of her kimono with one hand, staring at her extremely frustrated.

After he got rid of the stove, Sasuke came back into bed lying on his back. But he couldn't sleep. No, Sasuke doesn't sleep on his back. Now, he was just waiting. All she needed was a minute or two and… Yup, there she was. Touching him, bothering, mooching off of him for body heat.

That's when he finally decided he had no way around this. He formed a few hand signs summoning 2 small snakes. They crawled over the bed on Hinata and wrapped themselves around her wrists and ankles, turning into regular rope the next second. Sasuke then rolled her to her other side, having her face away from him, covered both of them with blankets and hugged her pressing his chest against her back, safely immobilizing any future movement.

She was the first living thing to crawl around his sleeping space and not be used as target practice. This included even Orochimaru himself. Maybe I really am kind. He thought smugly, before he finally fell asleep.

_-…Uchiha Household; 10 AM…-_

Sasuke opened his eyes woken by morning sunlight. He doesn't normally sleep this long after sunrise. It must have been this little monster stopping me from getting to sleep in the first place. He looked at the tied up girl in his arms. More precisely at the top of her head and the messy hair that was sticking up, out of the bandages around her head, uncomfortably tickling his skin. He got up and left for the bathroom, on the way trying to think of any other ways he knew you can immobilise a person, even from crawling. Yet not knock them out. Or kill them... Going back into the room, Sasuke was surprised.

All that was left on the bed were blankets hanging off its side, two torn ropes and a long strand of dark blue hair where Hinata's head once was. He could hear footsteps running towards the back entrance of his house. Realizing what just happened he quickly went after her, following the sound of the old squeaky doors. The rinnegan in his right eye was activated and all of his senses heightened. And he spotted her now. Scared, running through the small forest behind the house.

Luckily for him, he was faster. Much faster. He caught up with her in a matter of seconds and grabbed her wrist. Her byakugan was activated as well. She defended releasing chakra through her arm causing him to let go and stood in front of him in a fighting stance.

"What..?" he was dodging her. "Are you.." She was scared. Scared of stopping with her attacks. Scared, knowing she can't outrun him. "Doing?!"

"Stay back." She warned jumping back after having failed to hit him. But this was a futile attempt from the start and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it. In the next second, she has collapsed on the ground.

Next time she opened her eyes, she was back in their bedroom, tied to a small chair facing Sasuke who was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her.

"Why did you run?"

"You broke your promise." A strong blush broke out on her face as she said it. Still her expression looked scared, sad, even desperate.

"What promise?" Sasuke kept a menacing glare as if he was interrogating a criminal.

Her eyes started filling up with tears. "You said…" She pressed her lips together. "We won't be really married. That we won't…" Now her voice gave out. But there was this particular spite inside her that urged her not to look away.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows replying seriously. "I never touched you."

"You tied me up. Y-You…"

"I tied you up because you wouldn't stop moving and brushing against my back."

"I didn't.." Hinata's eyes widened.

"You seem to stop producing your own body heat as soon as you fall asleep, but I can't have anything crawling behind me. I trained myself to stay on guard and attack whatever comes into contact with me while asleep."

She shook her head turning even more red. "You're lying. I felt it against. Against me... I know you're lying."

Sasuke was visibly confused until the words she couldn't say, finally came to mind. And now he was angry. "I have no control over a morning erection."

She squeezed her eyes as if being physically hurt by his bluntness, her face was completely red. It took a few moments before she protested again. "I know when it happens that.."

"It happens all the time." Then he realised what he said. "I mean it has nothing to do with you." He paused. "It's none of your business we're done talking." He got off the bed refusing to let himself become visibly flustered by this (any more) and stood next to her, forming a hand sign to release the ropes. That's when an idea popped into his head. "Get out of the ropes yourself." He took a step back.

She lifted her head a little hearing him say that, and filtered her chakra through her entire body trying to break her bindings. They didn't budge. They felt like steel wrapped around her. She tried to get some wiggle room, but they only tightened the hold.

"That's the difference between me stopping you from bugging me at night and me strapping you down." He explained while activating the seal. Her ropes fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry." She finally apologized removing the rope off her lap.

He sat down on the bed staring at her, dead serious. "I don't need an apology. I want something far more important. You're not to lie to me, or distrust me ever again."

"I promise." She nodded, on her face a feeling of incredible guilt. So visible, that Sasuke felt as if he should have requested Hiashi's homicide. He couldn't even stay angry like this. She continued looking at her hands again, now fidgeting with her thumbs. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on your bed. I don't remember what happened."

"You fell asleep on the way here. I put you in my bed."

Her eyes widened and she looked up. "Why?"

"You have a father who can see through walls and despite the supposed courtesy he promotes, he doesn't restrain himself from doing so to spy on people.

"Father would never do that!"

"He did just yesterday. He saw Sakura who came here to examine you."

Hinata zoned out for a moment, confused by what she just heard. Despite all things, she never perceived her father as dishonest.

"You'll sleep on my bed until further notice." He got up, took his clothes out of the drawer and walked back into the bathroom.

When she heard the water running, Hinata slowly got up and walked out of the bedroom wandering through the house. With the exception of the dining room, the bedroom, and presumably the bathroom Sasuke occupied, the place was like a haunted house. She could see old abandoned covered up furniture, lots of dust and the coldness indicating certain parts of it haven't been heated since the massacre. It disturbed her to start wondering why would someone move into a house where his parents died. Where, as she was told by her mother a few days ago, Sasuke saw it happen at the tender age of 5.

She finally entered the living room. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke appeared behind her fully dressed, his bangs wet from just having washed his face.

She jumped a little when she heard him. "I'm sorry! I-I was just looking around!"

"I use 3 rooms. The rest of this place is abandoned."

"Yes, I can see." She confirmed looking back at the living room.

"I'll go talk to Naruto. If you're called in later, don't let anyone see you. Officially we're off duty for 3 days."

"Uhm, Sasuke..?"

He turned. "Yes?"

"Would you mind if I...Cleaned them up?"

"Why?"

"Well the house needs to be maintained completely to be healthy. And you could have friends…In here." She observed the room imagining Naruto sitting in it.

"I don't need to give Naruto more excuses not to leave me alone." Sasuke remarked as if having read her mind.

"I see... Ok then." She responded blushing.

"Do what you want. You live here too." He was leaving the room. "Just don't color anything without my permission."

_-…hokage office; 11:14 AM…-_

Sasuke opened the doors of Naruto's office. When Naruto spotted him, he got out of his chair and declared in glee. "You're in!"

Sasuke just closed the doors with a sceptical look on his face.

"In the council, I swear! Old man Hyuuga was on my side and I quote - If he's good enough for our hokage, and good enough for my son, he's good enough for me." He explained cheerfully.

"Already?"

"You're taking Shimura's place. I demoted him this morning!"

"Can you talk any louder?" Sasuke smiled.

Naruto grinned in response. Shikamaru came in the next moment. "Oy, Sasuke." Sasuke looked at him. He was walking across the room towards Naruto's desk, carrying more paper for the blonde hokage, yet he was seeing him there in utter glee. "I take it he told you?"

"Hell yeah I did!" Naruto responded.

"Did he also tell you I advised against it?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto.

"I refused to gamble with Konoha." Naruto responded grumpily.

Shikamaru continued. "I was tailing Shimura. While he was in the council, he was always the candidate opposing Naruto. If he was the face of the lobbyists renegotiating terms of peace with Kirigakure that's been popping up lately, I had a good chance to catch him in the act.

"Danzo's son?" Sasuke asked.

"You don't have to worry about him. He tried to kill Danzo several times himself. His father spared his life every time, but had him exiled from the village after the third attempt. Until you killed Danzo, he wasn't allowed to return. If anything, he should be thanking you. Well… Ignoring the part where you stole his job."

"Why was he trying to kill him?"

"That's the problem now, isn't it? All we have are rumors. Root was a cult that died with Danzo."

"Tell me." Sasuke insisted.

"The two of them disagreed on the way ANBU and root were run. He wanted his own ideas of change to be implemented and resented his father for everything he did. He called him a traitor in public on several occasions. Again, no more than a rumor."

Behind Shikamaru, a creepy, out of place, Cheshire Cat smile spread across Naruto's face. "I have a present for you."

Sasuke looked at him uncomfortable.

"Enjoy." He blinked adorably and dramatically gestured with both hands towards 3, around 1 meter tall, towers of files.

Sasuke became physically sick for a moment. Shikamaru joined in. "3 days from now, you'll be officially handed control over the ANBU. You'll be able to command them by deferring to Naruto, but since you'll sit on the council, you'll have autonomy on the matters delegated directly to you by either law, Naruto, or the council as a union. In those stacks is everything you need to know starting with people who will be working under you, all the way up to the history of the ANBU, with the exception of Root."

"Alright." Sasuke responded.

Naruto joined in. "I suggest you start with the left one. At the moment we have refugees from the East crossing Fire Country borders. Most are civilians, but until a resolution can be found, we're stuck fighting defected shinobi and our criminals, as well as those from the Rock that are among them. I'm planning on refusing a request for indiscriminate execution of the traveller groups who are nearing the capitol, and will offer 5 team backups for the regular military units that are currently in the capitol in charge of containment. Since we're dealing with the matter of the whole country and the daimyo directly, it's a council session."

"And you want my vote on that?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes." Naruto confirmed without hesitation.

"You'll have it."

"Why?" Shikamaru intervened.

"Unneeded killing for good measure creates as many problems as forgiveness does. It's a waste of effort." Sasuke responded.

Shikamaru tilted his head staring at his papers, leaning against the side of Naruto's desk, half his attention on the paper, half on Sasuke. "What if I told you the crowd was highly suspected to carry a threat that could destroy the capitol, or even Konoha."

"One unit of spies for infiltration, separative kidnappings on 2 units 1 hour ahead, and ten on standby for indiscriminate execution."

Naruto's gaze darkened when he heard Sasuke's response and Shikamaru smirked satisfied. "Now I understand why Naruto trusts you."

"Why?"

"You seem to fit the profile of an ANBU, but you're not a psychopath."

A small period of silence wrapped the room and then…"What's a psychopath?"

"Naruto I gave you that dictionary."

"Well I didn't go and memorize it!" Naruto complained.

"Whatever, I did my work for today. Now I have a genin and an angry girlfriend to avoid." He put down the files and left the room. "See ya."

"Oy Shikamaru!"

"What?" Naruto got a lazy, stretched out response from behind the door.

"Send for Sakura, Shizune and Izumo on your way out."

"Ok, ok."

"Hey Sasuke, no one knows you're here. I can use you too before you touch any of that." Naruto interrupted Sasuke who was reaching for his tower of folders.

_-…Uchiha residence, 10:30 am…-_

Hinata looked in the bathroom mirror and froze completely shocked. The day before she was sealed, and the skin area of her forehead on which the mark was left was sensitive to infection. For that reason her head was bound by bandages that went over her long hair and under her bangs. After all the walking, carrying, pushing, bed crawling and running, there was a bunch of hair pieces sticking out of her bandages levitating all over the place. She looked like a palm tree. What confused her most of all was Sasuke who has been interacting with her all morning and has not given any indication that something was off about her appearance. As if he didn't even register what he was looking at. _Is this how that person sees people?_ She laughed briefly, staring at her reflexion in the mirror.

30 minutes later, she stood in front at the bathroom door taking a deep breath. This is what most disturbed her about Sasuke's house. It was clean, yet filthy. He put all his things in their proper place in an almost OCD manner. His bed was made, but when one took a closer look, the blankets haven't been washed for over a year. The floors were full of dust and grime, the walls were dark with layers of filth, mostly smoke from the heater during winter, the bathroom was neat and every surface in it was covered in water stains and was partially sticky. His kitchen wasn't used at all besides the stove, yet the entire thing was a mess, filled with neatly stacked up vegetable cans and other, for some reason sorted and kept, trash. Adding her unpacking and the rest of the haunted house filth to her list of chores, she really needed a breath.

_-…Uchiha residence, 05:46pm…-_

Hinata climbed in the attic of the house looking for a tool she needed to patch up the wall. Her white dress and purple apron were already covered in dust and stains from all the work. The attic was very wide and it had one roof window shaded by the branches of the tree growing outside. The place was spooky enough in and of itself, but she was additionally unnerved by the sounds, she knew something alive must have been making for a while. She wasn't alone. And they weren't just rustle sounds, they were breaths, shallow, rapid, fast.

A human!

She activated her byakugan scanning the room by 350 degrees. Without turning around, she could see him. A child. He tensed up his muscles, stilled for a moment and jumped out of his hiding spot running towards the roof window.

Hinata ran after him instinctively and had him in an arm lock before he even made 2 good steps.

"Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" The kid started crying and screaming.

"Who are you?" Hinata asked him.

Hearing her soft, high pitched voice, the child stilled and did his best to turn his head around. When he saw her face he retorted: "Who are YOU?!"

Hinata lowered her eyebrows and pressed her lips together in response to his insolent behaviour. "You are in my house. You should introduce yourself first."

"This is YOUR house?! Aw maaan! I missed the house! I'll be killed for this." The kid hung his head in defeat.

"Who were you looking for?"

"Just let me go, what's it to you?!"

Hinata responded calmly. "I won't until you start answering my questions nicely."

"The red eye monster!" The kid snapped. "The other guys at the academy wouldn't take me to the genin training grounds with them unless I bring them something from the monster! Everyone does it! Ok?! Don't you tell my mum!" He was screeching bellow her hold angrily.

"Red eyed..? You mean Sasuke?" Hinata asked confused.

"You know him?! Where is he?!"

"He's my husband."

The kid turned completely silent and stiff, before he started screaming again. "Ok, you can tell my mum! Pleeeeeaase don't let him eat me! Please! You can tell my mum! Just don't tell the monster!" Little tear drops started to fall on the dusty floor.

Hinata finally released him. He immediately took a step back and turned to face her, wiping his face dry. His nose was running as well. He couldn't stop crying.

"It's ok, he isn't home." She smiled at him, feeling a bit guilty to have upset him so much.

He went quiet for a second when he heard her response, but then continued to cry anyway. "Don't you!" "Dare!" "Te-tell.. Any! Anyone!" He ordered spitefully trough sobs.

He was covered in dust having been rolling around in the attic for who knows how long. He must have heard her walking around while she was cleaning and airing the house, so he concluded Sasuke was home and didn't dare come out. His knees were also torn and dust packed on his bloody wounds. There were also twigs to be found in his messy green hair.

"I'll make you a deal. You come downstairs and help me clean up and I promise I won't tell anyone." She responded with a gentle smile on her face.

The kid kept looking at her then back at his feet. "You won't let him eat me?"

She let out a soft giggle despite herself. "I promise I won't."

"Cross your heart and hope to die and eat your boogers if you lie?"

She couldn't help but to smile even more. "Yes."

"No you have to say it."

"Say what?" She asked him.

"I cross my heart and hope to die and eat my boogers if I lie. Say that." He was staring at her completely serious.

"I cross my heart and hope to die and eat my boogers if I lie." She responded curling her lips at the end.

The kid stared at her narrowing his eyes. "Fine. You promised, so you better not lie to me!" He threatened puffing up his little chest, wiping the last tear drop off his eyelashes.

"I wouldn't dare." Hinata pursed her lips restraining another smile.

She climbed down the ladder first and waited until the child has climbed down enough for her to take him. She lifted him off the ladder, stopping him from touching the, just cleaned, floor.

"Hey what are you doing!? You promised!"

"You're in your shoes." she explained carrying him near the door, for him to take his shoes off.

"Ugh.. It's always thaat." He whined irritated while taking his shoes off.

"So what do I have to clean?"

"Yourself." She responded bringing in towels. "I can't send you home like this."

He took the towels she handed him still pouting and proceeded into the bathroom. "Give me your shirt." He took it off and handed it to Hinata before he closed the bathroom door hiding a little blush.

Walking out of the bathroom, shirtless and with a towel on his head, the kid was drawn by the smell of food. He has in fact been up there since early morning and his stomach was getting the better of him. He found himself. in the kitchen reaching for a bowl of fresh baked cookies.

Hinata suddenly walked in.

"I wasn't stealing!" He screamed in defence.

She smiled putting the scissors in her hand on the counter. "You can have some if you like."

He glared at her completely confused and still unsure about everything she said and did. "You didn't put poison in these so your husband can eat me?"

"No I didn't, cross my heart and hope to die." Hinata giggled.

"And eat your buggers if you lie."

"And eat my buggers if I lie."

He took the towel off his head, threw it on the counter and immediately took the cookie, then another and another… They were gone before Hinata turned around again.

"Hey Mrs. Monster."

"My name is Hinata." she walked out of the kitchen quickly, carrying a bucket she filled with water. The kid jumped off the chair and followed her. "Where's my shirt?"

They went out on the outside porch in the back yard. She spilled the water over the wooden surface washing out the soap. "Over there." She pointed at strings stretched out between the trees and metal poles, with clothes and sheets swinging in the wind.

"Hey it's all wet!"

"It should be dry in a little bit."

He crossed his arms and looked away angry. "Why do all women I know ruin my shirts!?"

"We're sorry." Hinata responded giggling, deciding not to inquire about his odd little protest. She has removed all the water from the back porch, finally leaving it to dry. "Come on, I have something for you."

He looked at her with one eye refusing to turn his head, feigning anger, but when she disappeared again, he ran after her. She brought him in the bedroom and took out the emergency first aid kit she carries to battle, took out two band aids and glued them one on his knee, one below the knee on the other leg.

"Thank you." He finally said.

"You didn't tell me your name."

"Kato."

"So Kato, why do you want to go to the genin training grounds?"

"All the strong people go there! If I don't, I'll never become as strong as the hokage. Hey, you can give me what I need from the red eye monster!"

"He might be back soon, so you can ask him yourself."

He took a step back. "You DO want him to eat me!"

"Sasuke doesn't eat children." Hinata was putting away her kit.

"Yeah right!" He responded.

"He eats normal food like you and me. Cross my heart and hope to die and eat my boogers if I lie." She was slightly laughing again.

"Wow."

"I think you can take your shirt now." She led him out of the room.

"Can you ask him for me? I have to go. My mum will kill me if I don't come home soon."

"I'm sorry. If you want to borrow something, you must ask the person yourself." She handed him his shirt.

"I thought so." He complained and now was putting on his shirt. "Does that mean that I can come back?"

"Of course."

Kato swallowed loudly. "And you're sure he 100% doesn't eat people? Sanada says they saw him do it!"

"100% he doesn't."

He was speaking the whole time as he approached the backyard tree, climbed up, jumped on the fence next to it and fell down on the street on the other side. "I maybe come back. If I feel like it! Maybe tomorrow… I don't know… " Last thing he yelled from the other side. "I maybe come back day after tomorrow, I know! You'll see!"

_-…Uchiha residence, 03:05 am (the next day)…-_

Hinata woke up to a strong stench of sweat and blood. She could feel it choking her, until it finally forced her eyes open. And now she understood what Sasuke meant when he said she keeps touching him when asleep. She didn't know when he came in and how she got there, but her head was on his arm and under his chin, her hand on his waist and her legs against his. He on the other hand was completely relaxed, not holding her down, or having tied her up this time. He must have hoped she wouldn't move anymore after having adjusted herself against him.

She slowly moved away lifting herself on her elbow, feeling incredibly guilty for burdening him with her weird behaviour. But the moment she moved, she woke him up. And that's not a gradual thing for Sasuke. His eyes spread wide open, with threatening red glistening in the dark.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered.

His sharingan deactivated and he responded in a normal tone of voice. "Why are you whispering?"

"Uhm, I don't know…" She raised her voice as well. "Your clothes..." The moonlight was falling on him through the window, making the large blood stains visible.

He rolled from his side to his back, still lying down. "I was tired so I didn't change."

"Oh, ok."

"What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just got you to stop moving and then you wake up. What is it?"

She looked down nervous slightly blushing. "Nothing."

"You're lying to me."

"I am! I'm sorry! I..! Well you...stink."

Sasuke closed his eyes exhaling, his face blank. He knew he had to get up now. _Why couldn't the council expect me to get a cat?!_

Hinata felt she was a bother just as much, if not more than Sasuke did. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I mean… Wait." In the next moment she jumped off the bed and ran around it getting to his side, with the word _idea_ written on her forehead.

"Don't move ok?"

He was slightly surprised, but he obeyed, his eyes only following her movement. She put her knees to the edge of the bed. "This an old chakra regeneration practice in my clan to help shinobi who return from missions. I did this for Hanabi and Neji a lot of times, so don't worry."

She concentrated chakra at the tip of two fingers and pressed them against the nape of Sasuke's neck. He was waiting to see what she was doing, and after 30 seconds, he couldn't feel anything below that spot on his neck. Even his chest started relaxing. He was exhaling and slowly suffocating. She then took the blanket and folded it several times lowering it down to his belly button, opened his flak jacket and pressed her palm in the middle of his chest placing it on the black shirt that was underneath. As if on their own, his lungs immediately inflated and his heart started beating very fast. He knew, because he could hear it in his ears. Feeling was returning to him. "You'll get an energy surge, but you have to let it pass." She warned. And now every inch of his body was almost shaking. His breathing was fast as if he was running, but he wasn't exasperated, he just really wanted to move. Jump was more like it.

"Don't move." She warned gently, seeing his fingers twitch by accident.

Sasuke realised what he got himself into and he didn't like it. The sense of having no control over what was happening to him was extremely torturous. Overwhelmed by this complete lack of trust in her was worse than being attacked by Karin. Maybe the fact that she wasn't his fangirl was that which that made it worse.

He followed her every movement with utmost focus as if she was about to perform surgery on him. As if he had to monitor it, just so he could stop her at any point. The "don't worry" she offered obviously didn't mean jack to Sasuke.

She quickly left the room, returning with a wet cloth that ended up on on his forehead. She pressed it with her palm, infusing it with chakra and incredible cold ran through his whole body. After she removed it, he started to heat back up becoming himself again. And not his tired self at that. He was full of energy.

"You can move now." She announced after about 6 seconds. "And...Uhm… Where are your pyjamas?" She asked.

"Lowest drawer on the left." He sat up on the bed.

She took them out and handed them to him. "You should hurry with these. You'll be tired soon." She took the cloth she removed from his forehead and left him alone closing the door behind her.

While changing his clothes Sasuke noticed something unusual. He was full of fresh cuts, scars, he even had a giant one on his back Sakura patched up in the hospital 2 hours ago. But the pain was gone. He knew they were there, he only couldn't feel the pain anymore. He got dressed and went back into bed. And just as he was wondering how can he possibly go to sleep now, the room started spinning and despite his uneasiness and resistance to falling asleep while losing alertness, he was out cold.


	7. Don't Believe It

Sasuke woke up sleeping on his stomach with one of his hands hanging off the bed, and the other awkwardly twisted underneath him. He blinked several times as he came to and lifted his head off the pillow. The sun was bothering him. It was high up on the sky. He looked at the nightstand. _It's noon! _He immediately rotated and sat up on the bed looking around in disbelief. His previously bloody clothes were in front of him on the dresser, clean and folded. He doesn't sleep like this and he doesn't sleep this long. Second day since Hinata's lived there and he's overslept the sunrise both times. He remembered what happened, and staring at his flack jacket, a part of him wasn't sure whether he had any right to be upset with Hinata. _Chakra regeneration, was it?_

He looked at his hand and electrical sparks were flying of its surface the next moment. He was meshing and summoning his chakra with 0 delay, effort, using minimal concentration.

He got out of the bed and walked outside in the hallway following the sound of clinking, breathing and soft footsteps across the floor boards. Everything about the place looked different. Last night he noticed the smell and the carped brought out in the hallway, but now it was… Lighter.

He walked in the living room. It too was brighter than he ever remembered it. All the doors were open. Warm breeze was blowing inside. Beige carpets were stinging his eyes glowing in patches of daily sunlight. Hinata was sitting together with 3 other men in shinobi wear, around dark wooden table with tea cups in front of them. The paperwork Naruto gave him was arranged in around 8 piles all over the place. When he came in, Hinata was the only one with her back turned to him. The other 3 immediately got out of their seats and bowed. "Sir." She turned around as well putting down her cup. "Good morning." The room was previously in silence, leading Sasuke to presume they had no topic of conversation before he came in.

One of them spoke to him. "We brought the files hokage sent for you."

"Is there anything else?"

"No sir."

Sasuke just stood there looking at them. One of the men, the oldest one there responded. "Our chuunin offered us tea sir, we couldn't refuse."

He looked at Hinata whose back were once again turned on him. He could see nervousness in her stiff stance. "Fine. Finish your tea."

The 3 of them looked at one another and slowly sat back down, awkwardly continuing to drink it. Sasuke approached his files and sat on the floor with his back turned to them, moving the files around, flipping through, looking for something. The young, brown haired chuunin in the group allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and turned his head sideways to see what Sasuke was doing. In the same moment Sasuke spoke "If you've read any of this, I can have you hung."

The young man quickly turned his gaze back on his tea and gulped it down in one sip, convinced Sasuke spoke to him directly. The older man replied: "We're loyal to the hokage."

And that was enough for him to hear. That seemingly innocuous sentence that meant so much more than one would presume at first.

The night before, Konoha forces were reduced by 3 jonin units. They didn't die in battle and they didn't defect. They were disbanded by an official who did it right before he used them to launch an attack on a military base a few miles south of Konoha. If that military base is taken, it can be used for long ranged attacks on the shinobi village. Sasuke went after them leading 3 units as his own backup. They clashed on the base grounds and killed 1 unit worth of people. The rest fled into the mountains. There were no captives.

3 hours later they received word that not 3, but 9 units of shinobi sought shelter across the border, accusing the hokage and the current seating council of treachery, they sent demands for the capitol while in exile. The capitol demanded Naruto to come out for negotiation. Naruto's own villagers were turning on him.

Completely in the dark as to how all this happened and without any choice left, Naruto has proclaimed a state of emergency. Currently, Konoha was under lockdown as shinobi service organisation, in red state of alert and Hinata was the only person in the room completely ignorant of all this.

The other two shinobi followed the youngest one's lead and drank their tea quickly getting up the next moment. "Good day miss Hinata." oldest one spoke to her. That's when his friend shoved him with his elbow a bit. He looked at him confused for a second and then looked at Sasuke who was sitting on the floor not paying attention. "I.. I mean, Mrs Uchiha!"

"Ah. Good day." Hinata responded smiling comfortingly, showing there is no reason to feel so pressured over a pronunciation mistake. They bowed and disappeared the next second. She was putting away the tea.

"Why did you invite them to stay?" Sasuke closed another file in his hands and got up facing Hinata.

"It's an obligation in my house. To invite in the guards, medics and messengers if they have time to stay."

"They don't have time to stay. They want to stay. Don't invite them anymore." Sasuke then extended his hand and offered her the file he was holding. "Hide this from me and don't open it."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Use whatever technique you know best. But hide it from me."

"O-Ok." She took the papers and looked at him confused.

Sasuke walked out of the room. "You have 15 minutes."

15 minutes later, Sasuke came back from the bathroom and handed her that same file she was supposed to hide.

"You found it." She spoke surprised.

"Do you have any better techniques than this?"

"I think so." She nodded staring at the file.

"Try again." He walked out of the room returning 2 minutes later his hands empty. "That's good." He went over to his papers and sat back down on the floor. As soon as he opened another file, the wind lifted the unattached paper. Hinata quickly started closing the doors.

"Come here." Sasuke called her and handed her the file. "This is yesterday's mission. Naruto told me to debrief you."

Hinata slowly took the paper from him and began to read, her expression serious, with sort of fierceness in her eyes. Sasuke snuck a brief glance in her direction seeing the blatantly obvious change in demeanour at the mention of Naruto's name.

She completed her reading and closed the file putting it on the floor and looked at Sasuke who was now reading the file in his hands. She lowered her gaze without thinking and saw the paper in his hands, because she was unsure if she should interrupt him while reading it. But before she knew it, he turned his head to look at her, which startled her.

"Is Naruto alright?"

"He is."

"I see." she looked to the side blushing. But it wasn't her usual blushing face. Her expression was grave. Sasuke turned to her completely, she was staring at the floor.

"They're incorrect. The notes on your paper. The district drawn is not Kamura, it's Otoyawa." she finally responded.

He raised his eyebrows realising she's just confessed to reading confidential ANBU documents. And confessed immediately, just minutes after he had threatened to hang 3 shinobi for it.

Sasuke doesn't trust people easily. He found out he didn't trust her either the night before when he was suffocating under her palm. But this was good. Very good in fact. "How do you know that?"

"It was Kamura before, but after it was rebuilt, Otoyawa was expanded. Most shinobi who lived there died and rest moved to the other side of the village. It's mostly civilians now. The shinobi who told me this now live close to us. I mean..Close to my old house." she explained, her face going even more sour.

Sasuke finally smiled amused returning to his work. "You'll help me with this."

"Me?" her eyes widened.

"Take those next to you. Separate them by rank and kill count. Over 90 and under 90."

"90?"

"Yes." He took a better look at her, noticing hidden nervousness in her blank expression. "What's your kill count?" He stared at her anticipating an answer.

She shut her mouth and looked back into his eyes, now visibly uncomfortable, pausing before she responded. "Zero."

"You never killed anyone?" Sasuke was sceptical hearing this.

"Well, Zetsu in the war. I also wounded… I… No. I never killed anyone." She said looking down unsure of how she should be telling him this. Was it a bad, or a good thing?

"Why?"

"I attack to kill, like sensei thought us. But I never needed to actually… Finish the job."

Sasuke stared at her stunned for a moment before he said: "You can leave if you want."

Hinata looked down at the paper in her hands. "I know how ANBU works Sasuke. Of course I don't want to leave."

He didn't respond.

A minute or two later, she turned to him again. "Uhm, there is a study where these could be safer and more organized. Why not.. Take them there?"

He stopped reading hearing those words. He knew there was a study, but something inside him pulled him away from the rest of the house. Everything was cleaned, uncovered, moved. The way it was in his childhood. He was perfectly fine with roaming through a house covered in dust and old white sheets. But now he knew what she did to all that. He didn't want to admit it, but he dreaded getting up and moving into its other parts to see the place that once existed only in his memory. He was contradicting himself by choosing to live there, yet being afraid to look at it.

But he didn't get to do that now. Now he was directly reminded of his cowardice. Sasuke quickly moved to his feet in the next moment taking one stack in his arms. "You take one." She followed him into the study carrying papers that were more than half her height.

The shelves contained a couple of left over scrolls at one end, there was one window and a desk. The whole thing was very quiet, dark and sheltered. The room use to belong to Sasuke's father. Hinata pointed at the scrolls on one shelf. "I found them here. I didn't look inside, but I left them in case you wanted them."

Sasuke approached the shelf, taking and opening one of the scrolls. They seemed like regular clan business. He didn't know there were any left. He simply presumed they took them all while scavenging the house for data. It's not like these things were important. Not now anyway. Yet somehow, they were…

He recognised his father's handwriting. He recognised the document he brought into that very room as a child.

It was still dusty, rough and the paper seemed as if it was going to fall apart in his hands. But he kept looking at it. He didn't seem to be reading anymore. Hinata was going to speak, but seeing him, she realised Sasuke needed the silence. She just turned around and walked out of the room.

Sasuke could remember these letters. He was only a boy, but if anything stuck with him, it was his father's handwriting in his hands. He was 4, running to the house carrying a signed document to his father. He was so proud he was asked to. He remembered his mother stopping him from running through the house by calling his name. He remembered the smell of steamed pork buns from the kitchen in the afternoon and sound of the shower with Itachi having returned from training… It's why Sasuke always rises with the dawn. He did so just so he could catch up to his brother and get him to bring him along to training. Later he rose before the sun so he could defeat and kill Itachi. Every sleep past sunrise was considered a failure, and has remained to be considered as one, all his life.

Sasuke quickly turned around hearing a light tap on the desk behind him. Hinata has put down a plate with cut up vegetable bits and steamed pork buns on it. She looked at him as if she's seen a ghost, alarmed and sad at the same time.

Sasuke was confused until he blinked and felt the tears in his eyes spread along their designated border and onto his lashes. Sasuke blinked a couple of times, allowing himself to straighten his face once again. Hinata looked away nervous, blushing, feeling as if having invaded his privacy.

"Thank you." he responded glancing at the table.

Hinata didn't turn her head to look up still wanting to give him privacy, but an involuntary smile spread across her lips. She finally had confirmation she did something right. She was beginning to fear she can never be anything but a bother to him.

"You're welcome." Her reaction actually gave him relief as well. That threw him off a bit since he had no idea he had anything to feel relieved about. It was because he was seeing a sincere smile for the first time. _Am I that intimidating?_ But that wasn't even the most confusing part. The confusing part was the fact that he was actually seeing intimidation as something negative, excessive. Something he, for once, didn't want in his interaction with another person.

Hearing about her kill count, he didn't even want her looking at his documents. In this person he realised, he was seeing something he lost, or maybe forgotten. Something that intrigued him, something he wanted to trap and study... At this point Sasuke was beginning to believe she was not a liar, so he had to know how can a shinobi be this way? He had to understand the situation in order to control it. Why in the world did he envy her so badly, that he almost wished he could be angry with her? What was he looking at?

Seeing Sasuke stare at her numbly like a scanner processing information, the smile faded off of Hinata's face and she called his name confused. "Uhm, Sasuke?"

_Innocence._

-...front door of the Uchiha house; 1 day later, 3:54 pm…-

Kato was standing on the porch fidgeting unsure if he should leave, when all his hesitation was interrupted by Hinata opening of the front door. He made his decision.

He ran like the wind jumping in the bushes.

Hinata could hear whispers from the bushes. "Chicken."

"Shut up!"

"Hah!"

"Why don't you go then?!"

Hinata looked sideways smiling and closed the doors once again, took two steps back and waited. 20 seconds later, she heard the knocking again. She opened the doors aiming her eyes down already expecting the children she previously saw with her byakugan, but instead she found herself quickly looking up for her eyes to meet Naruto's.

Completely mentally unprepared for this encounter, she blushed profusely and became mute for a moment unable to even say his name. Naruto grinned apologetically leaning his head forward a bit.

"Yo Hinata."

She finally gathered her thoughts. "H-hi Naruto."

"Is Sasuke home?"

"He is! He's in the study."

"Well can I see him? Hehe." He laughed a little seeing her so flustered and confused that she forgot to invite him in.

"Yes, of course." She lowered her gaze trying to hide her blush and spread the door wide open standing to the side.

"Thank you!" Naruto just walked inside moving through the hallway as if he knew exactly where he needed to be. She quickly closed the door and followed him.

"Get out." Sasuke spoke to him as soon as Naruto appeared in front of the open door of the study.

"You nit-picky bastard."

"Now."

"Fine, fine! I didn't do it on purpose!" Naruto complained as he walked back towards the front door to take his shoes off. Hinata noticed, only she couldn't possibly weigh the uncomfortable frustration with Naruto walking around in his shoes against the exhilaration that was brought on by his presence.

Naruto returned standing in the hallways in front of the doors of Sasuke's study. "Now apologize."

Naruto stared at him annoyed. "You're pissing me off Sasuke."

"You want to make this any longer than it has to be?"

Hinata could see Naruto's whole face wrinkle into a menacing glare. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Sasuke smirked childishly.

Naruto actually growled before he suddenly turned to look at Hinata who was standing next to him. His face relaxed and he quickly bowed. "I'm sorry Hinata!"

She got a little startled and responded comforting him. "No, it's ok Naruto! I understand."

He smiled at her before he looked back at Sasuke. "There, are you happy now?"

"What is it?" Sasuke finally looked up at him.

"The capitol is involved. They want to renegotiate the terms of cooperation with Konoha. Shred 100 year old documents."

"So Shikamaru was right."

"I will set out for the capitol in one month with a team. I want you and Hinata to go with us."

"Why?"

"I want to use her as bait. We'll present her as a civilian. This is a political issue and as such it is a matter we can't handle by force. If Shikamaru is right and capitol is behind all of it, Hinata might be kidnapped and used against us."

"You can't go in counting on something like that."

"I'm not. I have other plans up my sleeve, but I need her too."

Sasuke glanced at Hinata who was standing in the room next to Naruto looking at him serious. "Don't they know she's a shinobi?"

"No. Last information they had of her was during chuunin exams. I had those documents replaced weeks ago for her and several others."

"Are you opening the village again?"

"Until then yes. They'll hold of. They seem to be stalling on their own."

"Uhm Naruto?" Both turned to her. "Why didn't you call for us? You didn't have to come over."

"Because I'm done and I wanted to visit my friends!" he grinned.

"I'm busy." Sasuke responded.

"What?! You too? Maan!"

Hinata blushed slightly scared seeing Naruto complain like that. "Naruto I didn't mean you have to go. You can stay, if…" She broke her train of thought freezing, realizing she's just invited Naruto to hang out with her.

"Haha, of course!" Naruto responded cheerfully. Sasuke just turned his back on them and continued with his work. She walked out of the study hiding her face and Naruto followed. "Hey you have food here?"

She smiled. "Yes."

Naruto was mid stuffing his face with Hinata sitting next to him at the dining room table, when Sasuke approached them and sat in front of Naruto. Naruto paused with his chewing and looked at Sasuke. Hinata got up and left the table without saying a word.

"I'm hungry." Sasuke responded to Naruto's confused stare.

Naruto then continued to say what was interrupted when Sasuke walked in the room, talking with his mouth full. "…and then he ended up volunteering to fight me. Can you believe that?"

Hinata giggled putting down the wooden tray in front of Sasuke.

"Oh yeah, Sakura told me to tell you she wants to see you after the 3 honeymoon days pass."

"Really?"

"She's preparing a birthday party for Ino on the 23rd. But you can't tell anyone, it's top secret." He lowered his voice showing he means it.

"Of course I'll be there." Hinata responded, but then shyly added. "Though I'm not sure it's much of a secret."

"You're not?"

"Every year Ino knows if people are doing this. She can… Well, uhm it's like she can read their minds."

"Haha yeah I suppose it's exactly like that. Good one Hinata."

Hinata turned red again.

"You too Sasuke, you're invited."

"Not interested."

"Come on man, you never hang out." Naruto pouted putting another bite in his mouth before he continued barely able to speak. "If you don't get to know your villagers you can't trust them can you?"

"We don't have time for that nonsense."

"Come on, those that left us and attacked seemed suspicious from the start. And THAT's why you should get to know people!"

"I direct the ANBU, rest are none of my concern."

"There will be some ANBU there." Naruto was now smirking like he was winning a fight.

Sasuke just continued with his meal ignoring this remark. "Is Kakashi back?"

"Not yet. Shikamaru sent for him though. That lazy ass keeps whining how Kakashi ditched him alone with me." Naruto complained.

"How much did he do?"

"We'll merge jurisdiction. We and Suna will be treated as allies, sharing people, markets and working for both countries." Naruto responded cheerfully.

"I don't trust Gaara." Sasuke interrupted.

"Well I do." Naruto responded after he swallowed, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. "Gaara agrees with us. All the negotiation is done with their daimyo."

"Fine, I'll grant you that. Still, neither of the daimyo have a reason to agree to this."

"Let's hope peace will be all the reason we have to give them." Naruto agreed now looking a bit worried.

Hinata spoke. "Uhm Naruto.. How will we be sharing… people?"

"Haha, I won't send you guys away, don't worry. But it is that anyone will able to move from village to village and shift allegiance from Gaara to me and back if they are needed in that other village, or even if they ask to. If you go there, you don't have to communicate with me, you become his people. If you come back, same thing!"

Hinata's eyes widened a bit. "So shinobi villages will be loyal to each other first and then to all the countries?"

"How it always should have been." Naruto nodded grinning proudly. "The first hokage himself talked about this. If we pull this off on a grand scale, we will finally get to form full communication, allegiances and maintain peace between all the shinobi in the world, regardless of country politics." He said with sort of calm softness in his voice.

Hinata smiled looking at Naruto talk while blushing. Sasuke just stared at the table blankly, taking a sip of water.

-…Uchiha household; 2:00 am the next day…-

"And this one?" Hinata held up a picture of a woman in front of Sasuke.

"Ahana Lotiro, jonin, genjutsu expert, 50 kills."

She was sitting on the floor with her back upright and her legs bent underneath her, flipping through the photographs in her hands. He was sitting opposite of her, leaning against the wall with his legs half bent in front of him and his hands resting on his knees.

"This one?" She held up the next one.

"Mariho Ashantaki, chuunin, tracker, 12 kills."

"Jonin, 19 kills." Hinata corrected Sasuke without looking at the data sheet.

Sasuke exhaled slowly, maintaining his frustrated grim expression. She was memorizing his people faster than he was.

She smiled at him. "Sasuke maybe if you got some sleep, you'd remember in the morning."

"I have more work to do after this. Are you tired?"

"No, I'm fine." She shook her still smiling courteously, but unnaturally raised her voice as she responded, giving herself away.

"Hinata…" Sasuke was getting annoyed with her constantly forgetting his rule about not lying. He couldn't take it, even if it was, just a courtesy lie coming from the worst liar he ever met. She was someone he couldn't walk away from at the end of the day and that was enough for him to insist so pettily and consistently.

"I… I am tired. But not too much." She quickly admitted furrowing her eyebrows.

"Go, we'll continue in the morning." Sasuke was already reaching for a new file, now opening it.

She slowly put the pictures down, stacking them neatly next to the files and got up. "Good night."

"Good night." He looked at her briefly as she walked out.

-…Uchiha household; 9 am same day…-

Hinata entered the study. Sasuke was at his desk, going through reports of several officials who defected two days prior.

"Sasuke?" Hinata appeared at the door dressed in her regular day clothing.

He turned around.

"Good morning." She smiled remembering to say it.

"Hm." He nodded waiting for her to speak.

"I was going to go shop for groceries. Do you want anything for breakfast?"

"Miso soup, tomatoes and rice." He responded.

"Oh, ok." She nodded smiling and disappeared from the entrance to the room, walked a few steps and quickly returned, now her expression serious. "Uhm Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Do you want to come along?"

He looked at her slightly surprised she invited him.

"A break walking helps people clear their head."

"I'm fine."

"Ok... Uhm, see you then."

When she disappeared for the second time, Sasuke looked back down at his document. _Wait, who is this guy now..? I know I found his name somewhere... He wasn't under the elders… No shit, that's not him. Wait, 5 jonin units?! That doesn't fit. Not at all! Where the hell was that shit piece of paper?! I had it! Did that Danzo's dumbass even keep track his co-ops!? Fuck this. _Sasuke let go of the paper letting it fall on the floor. After that he kept staring at it with a numb look on his face for a few moments before he finally got up to his feet, tensing up his muscles snapping most of the joints in his body. He took the flak jacket of the chair and walked out after Hinata.

He appeared next to her out in the street, a few meters away from the house. She looked at him, seeing him stare ahead while walking, involuntarily pressing his lips together wanting her to just keep quiet about this change of heart. She found it slightly amusing and accepted this silent request to not say anything. She simply looked down at the road herself making sure her hair falls forward to cover up the smile she couldn't restrain. Still, as her hair hid her face, Sasuke knew exactly what was behind it and now he was fighting a slight blush in frustration.

They were near the flea market. She stuck her hair behind her ear stopping the wind from carrying it up along the colourful fall leaves. She was going through her wallet counting the papers and coins in it.

"Where's your wedding ring?" Sasuke noticed the bare finger of her right hand, still all too aware of the one on his own.

"I..! It's in the kitchen. I took it off this morning! I'm sorry, I'll go back." She responded disappointed, lowering her wallet.

"Don't. Give me your hand and no one will pay attention."

She blushed looking down. They were in public and even though she has gotten used to Sasuke, even though he didn't make her feel nervous, randomly touching him on the street in front of people was still not acceptable.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." She shook her head trying to cool down, forget everyone passing by and took his hand stepping closer to him as they continued to walk down the street both looking ahead.

"How is this a problem _now_?" He asked feeling her hand get sweaty in his.

"I'm sorry..." Sasuke waited patiently, by now used to getting an apology for every little thing. She continued. "We aren't expected to hold hands now. And there are people I know here. That's why."

"We _are_ expected to do this. Appearances are our whole mission." He contradicted her.

"I..I understand I'm sorry." She was still embarrassed staring ahead quite stiff.

"And don't apologize."

"I'm s..." She stopped mid-sentence and went silent, now focusing on overcoming this new blush on her face. "I'll never give up, I promise. I know I have to adjust faster." She added silently with determination overwhelming her whole presence.

After a while Sasuke glanced down checking to see if she has calmed down, feeling her palm loosen and adjust to his.

Nope. She was still keeping her eyes fixed on a random point in the distance, seemed overly focused and was as red as a tomato. They were a few meters away from the market square now. Sasuke changed their path going around the square and turned to a small park next to it. They were visible among those 9 trees, but not likely to be heard. As they moved away from people into the shade of the red, brownish, yellow trees, her blush faded replaced by mild relief.

Finally he stopped, moved away a bit and turned to her still holding her hand. She looked up at his cold blank face, slightly confused for a while now, ever since he started walking the wrong way. The contrast between what Hinata was looking at ,and what the two of them looked like from a distance was almost comical.

"I told you, you're not a liar." He spoke to her. "If you want to grow, never give up, believe it, or whatever crap you picked up from Naruto, that's fine. But not with me on this mission. Don't think about these people, they are my problem and I can lie well enough for both of us. I agreed to this knowing what you are like. You don't owe me any transformation, and you don't need to apologize for failing at it, because I'm not asking. "

She just stared wide eyed for a few moments. "But I have to.."

"No you don't. You don't even have to look at anyone who makes you turn that mute and red. Just stand beside me and forget about them."

Something in her gut clenched a bit. It felt wrong. Contradictory to all she did and learned so far._ But in the end, all that matters is the mission. Konoha. And Naruto…_

"Ok." She spoke after a short pause.

When they walked out of the park, Hinata's blush didn't return to what it once was. She looked around at the stands imagining them empty. She spoke to Sasuke alone about what she needed, from where and all she had to do in the end was exchange 3 short conversations with regards to the purchase. No one else was around in danger of approaching her. No one could see her. Or at least she had to repeat that in her head like a mantra.

When they let go, taking shopping bags in their hands, it didn't matter anymore. In the end Sasuke just ended up following her around, never saying a single word the entire time they were there. Something she didn't realize until they started talking again on their way back home.

On the street they could see the house in the distance. Hinata recognised little Kato standing at the front porch afraid to knock. They both stopped looking at him for a few moments and spoke at the same time interrupting one another.

"That's…"

"He's…"

They looked at each other. Sasuke asked. "Yes?"

"He snuck in the attic. He wanted to see you. I invited him in before I sent him home."

Sasuke looked at the house again. "Those pests crawl around my house. I'm not allowed anything else, so I cast genjutsu on them when I find time."

"Genjutsu!? What kind?" Hinata quickly asked with a worried look on her face.

"I convinced them I'm a cannibal." Sasuke continued to walk.


	8. Madara Knew

Kato turned around away from the front door having lost the courage he needed to knock. Sasuke and Hinata were slowly approaching the house, observing his front door dance of back and forth.

"Only 3 of them today." Sasuke pointed out scanning the area.

Hinata was focused on Kato. Finally they made eye contact and Kato froze on the spot. He could see Sasuke and Hinata approaching him. He couldn't run now. He thought about it lifting one leg, but put it back into place. He knew how fast Iruka was, how quickly Hinata caught him, what chance did he stand against the red eye monster?

Sasuke took out the keys as they walked up to the porch.

"Hello." Hinata greeted Kato smiling.

"Yo." He uttered still frozen, staring at the ground, trying to imagine he was alone with her.

"You came back after all." She was trying to get him to relax.

He looked up at her nodding. "Mm." Then he turned to look at Sasuke. Sasuke met his eyes offering a cold glare in return. Kato gulped and Sasuke turned away walking inside the house.

"Are you hungry?" Hinata asked stepping inside after him.

"Yeah…" The kid responded silently and followed her.

Sasuke took one look at Kato, who was sitting at the living room table next to him, staring directly at Sasuke's black eyes, with his food untouched. Kato quickly looked down taking a scoop of rice. But the moment Sasuke went back to his food, Kato looked up again. Sasuke became irritated and unable to eat. Finally, he looked at Kato and activated his sharingan. Hinata who was sitting at the table across from Sasuke saw it and jumped up, stretching above the table, putting her palm on his eyes, bending her head down begging him. "Please don't! He's too young!"

Sasuke turned his face with her hand on it towards her. She looked up and moved her hand of off him, staring at him with a nervous look on her face. Placing her palm on her chest, she sat back down.

He deactivated his sharingan, smirked and without breaking eye contact with Hinata said. "Kid."

Kato who was already scared due to Hinata's reaction responded. "Yeah?"

"Do you see the meat on your plate?"

Kato's face turned blue as he looked down.

Sasuke slowly turned his head back to him and with an evil, terrifying grimace added. "That brat wouldn't stop staring at me either."

The voice died in Kato's throat. He immediately crawled back on all fours with his butt facing the ground, hit the wall behind him, got up and ran out the door swinging his arms forward.

Sasuke continued to eat nonchalantly, a satisfied smile lingering on his lips. Hinata on the other hand felt sorry for Kato. She got up and closed the doors returning to her seat in silence. Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye, seeing her slightly worried expression. It wiped the smirk of his face.

She ruined his fun.

"Sasuke, do you know why the Academy students are sneaking in here?" She was inquiring as to whether he knew what she knew. She wasn't asking him a genuine question.

"Training. Get into a shinobi's house and get out without getting caught. I did it myself as a kid."

"I didn't know that." She raised her eyebrows.

"That's because I did it right." Sasuke took his bowl and got up. "Don't let him go near the study when he comes back." He put it in the sink.

Hinata stopped eating and looked at him slightly surprised. "Sure." She responded. Just before this, she was convinced he wouldn't let Kato come back at all.

Sasuke left the room.

_-…Hokage mansion, first floor offices; 2pm…-_

"That is the intell your spies have." Kakashi spoke to Naruto who was sitting on the tatami opposite of him.

"They can't interfere publically, it's not their right by law, you thought me that." Naruto responded frustrated.

"Well they will try to. They certainly have quite a bit of support among the shinobi."

"What if they are right? What if surrendering sovereignty is the best way?" the female elder, Koharu, asked.

The male elder Homura interfered. "Teacher Tobirama would roll over in his grave if he heard you say that."

The woman dismissed him. "Oh he knows I never agreed with him Homura."

"All it matters is whether Naruto agrees with him." another woman of the council interfered.

"I do." Naruto responded decisively. "I chose my path as the hokage the day I promised to unite all villages. I based it on the experience of those before me and the mistakes they have made. I have to believe this is the right path, or else we're not going anywhere."

"Spoken like a true hokage." The male elder smiled approvingly.

"Ryouji, you're awfully quiet today." The female elder turned to Danzo's son.

"You all know where I stand on this. But at this point, it doesn't even matter. I'm here in courtesy, so don't pretend anything I say matters to you either."

"We did not vote you out because you disagree with us. I respected your father despite our disagreements."

"Well maybe that's your problem elder Utatane. I never had an ounce of respect for him. Nor do I respect anyone who chooses to lead a village based on belief, instead of cold, hard reality." He fixed his eyes on Naruto.

Naruto's jaw muscles tightened as he put effort into restraining any reaction that came to mind.

Danzo's son continued. "Times have changed, but the shinobi villages refuse to accept that. You are all stuck in your isolated little worlds, we here in Konoha have Hashirama to blame for. Madara may have been a madman, but he saw the reality of the shinobi for what it was, just like I do."

The silence wrapped the room. Everyone were shocked to hear him speak Madara's name in defence of his ideology.

"Madara knew nothing." Naruto replied in a low controlled tone, his menacing glare giving away his feelings.

Danzo's son grinned staring at Naruto. "I struck a nerve?"

Male elder interfered. "Ryouji you may be leaving the council, but control your behaviour."

"You know what? No. You replaced me so no, I will not! The only reason this fucking system sucks is because you all behave like we don't belong to the Land of Fire. We are just a military base playing country like a bunch of children and you all know that! And now your plan is to separate even further from the Land of Fire and unite all the children!?"

The elder responded calmly to Ryouji's provocation. "We were the military once. We were also heads for hire. We killed one another in the name of anyone who could afford us. We killed in the name of the daimyo as well. Foundation of Konoha, isolation of force and the choosing of missions we and other shinobi villages enabled, ended so much killing."

"You're joking right? We've had 2 great wars since then."

"Had you been alive then, you would have known just how many wars we stopped by separating from the daimyo's control."

"Listen to me you fossil. The daimyo who sought territory needed the resources; the daimyo you killed for are relics just like you. The countries that exist today have less of a reason to go to war than any of the shinobi villages do!"

Naruto responded to him now visibly angry. "I will not turn my comrades into toys of the rich."

"Oh please kid. All you care about is that stupid hat on your head."

"I would give up my position this second if I believed it would help!" Naruto yelled at him.

"Well excuse me then. You're not power-hungry, you're just stupid."

"Ryouji!" The male elder yelled for the first time himself.

"No, I don't give a shit anymore." The man got off the tatami and walked out of the room slamming the door on the council session.

"That man never had any class, even at his age." The female elder commented after he left. "I mean I agree with him, but he simply has no class about it." She added nonchalantly.

Naruto turned to the female elder serious. "I've spent half a year serving the daimyo before I became hokage. I've seen the greed and materialism degrade the civilian society. We shinobi are raised to become weapons. Who we serve and how we serve is what defines us. If I could surrender all my power and become a civilian as well, I would serve s daimyo. But I would never give control of the shinobi, to a man who doesn't know what a battlefield looks like." He spontaneously raised his voice as he was speaking, not in anger but in passion and conviction... The woman noticed so she started smiling lightly. She knew she could debate Naruto into the dirt, but Naruto's youth pleased her and if she's learned anything after all these years, it was that maybe she should give youth a shot.

Naruto didn't understand why she was smiling so he continued to look at her with a serious expression, growing a bit uncomfortable.

The male elder sighed before he looked at Kakashi again. "Have you captured any of the defected from Konoha?"

"No. Two we had with us, killed themselves."

"I don't see why you can't simply assume they are rallying behind the daimyo." The Hyuuga elder interfered.

"Because, as far as we know, they aren't." Kakashi responded. "The defected keep crossing the border and we've been monitoring the daimyo ourselves. The only way he could be doing that, is if we have traitors right here in this room."

"Now you wait. Just because we have differing opinions, just because we can hold our own against the hokage, doesn't mean we would betray our village."

"I understand that." Kakashi replied calmly.

"It doesn't matter now." Naruto said to Kakashi. "I gave my word not to send those under our command in foreign territories until the alliance is formed and the post-war era ends. We won't be chasing anyone across the border."

_-…Uchiha household; 5:15 pm…-_

Sasuke walked in the kitchen getting himself a glass of water. The doors separating it from the living room were open. _Great, there's 2 of them now..._ He observed Hinata with the boys in the living room. She was teaching them proper taijutsu form. The boys were sweating, repeating after her. He put the glass down and went into the living room. The children and Hinata stopped and looked at him.

"Why is everyone circling only this house?" He asked Kato.

Kato responded without inhibition as if it wasn't a secret. "Hokage told us to go here."

Sasuke's eyebrows lowered. "When?"

"About a year ago. But then he disappeared and no one ever succeeded in taking the treasure."

Now Hinata looked at Kato confused herself.

"What. Treasure?" Sasuke enunciated every word clearly.

"Underwear." Kato responded proudly, as if sharing some wisdom with Sasuke.

"What underwear?" Sasuke immediately followed up.

"Yours."

"Naruto told you to take my underwear?!"

"No, my sister did."

Sasuke paused utterly confused before he asked another question. "What exactly did Naruto tell you?"

"He told us that if we can get in and out of your hallway unnoticed, we can join the genin on the training ground." Sasuke made a mental note to beat up Naruto for the most annoying prank he pulled so far. His back yard has been crawling with Academy students for almost a year.

"And then what happened?"

"He left the training grounds when everyone started calling him hokage, and the genin wouldn't let us in at all. But then my sister told us how your underwear has magic power that can make us strong, so we didn't need teacher Naruto anymore."

Sasuke was speechless.

"Oh, but you can't give us the underwear!" The other boy next to Kato added.

"Yeah." Kato confirmed nodding. "We have to take it when you don't know, otherwise it will lose its power!"

_Maybe I should __**kill **__Naruto…_Sasuke changed his mind.

"Kato." Hinata called.

"Hmm?" The kids looked at Hinata.

"You should not look for power through Sasuke's underwear." She crouched facing the boys, her expression serious, slightly more worried than it was scolding.

_What did she say?_

"Many ninja want to become powerful without working hard. But then, they don't learn any self-discipline, they don't become responsible and they can't learn to respect that power. So they can become evil."

Something in Sasuke's gut shifted after she said that. The kids were staring at Hinata with wide eyes. Kato's friend looked down at his feet. "I don't want to become evil."

"I want to become hokage." Kato said matter-o-factly.

Hinata smiled warmly. "Then just listen to master Iruka and you'll be genin in no time."

The boys looked at her nodding and then slowly looked at one another from the corners of their eyes.

"We should go."

"Yeah…"

"Why?" Hinata asked surprised.

"We kind of have shuriken practice now…"

"You can show master Iruka what I thought you. Maybe then, he won't be mad." She smiled again encouraging them.

"Yeah!" Kato responded excitedly.

"I hope so." His friend still looked worried.

When Hinata closed the doors after the boys she turned around, with her back leaning on the door with her hands behind her, still smiling, staring at the floor. Sasuke who hasn't moved wanting to see them leave for good, focused on her realizing she wasn't actually smiling happily, she was trying not to laugh.

She noticed him and looked at him still smiling like that. The moment they locked eyes she opened her mouth and laughed out loud trough a couple of breaths. Sasuke looked away, an involuntary smile spreading across his lips as well. Hinata covered her face with her palms laughing underneath them, her shoulders shaking. She in reality didn't realize this was fangirl harassment. To her it was just… Funny.

"It's not funny." Sasuke warned closing his eyes briefly, straightening his face. She calmed down hearing his voice and lifted her head making eye contact, only to start giggling all over again, making Sasuke smile in turn, which forced him to quickly leave the room in defeat.

_-…Uchiha household; 8 pm…-_

Sasuke found Hinata in the front yard gathering leaves and twigs into a compost bucket. She was in her hoodie put over her white dress, since it was chilly outside. She still enjoyed the atmosphere of the soothing darkness, the quietness of the lonely Uchiha district at night and the starry fall sky above her.

"Hey." He called.

She looked up.

"Go brush your teeth and get to bed." He said and closed the door disappearing.

Hinata stood there confused. She was comfortable with Sasuke's bossy nature since she herself always found fulfilment in serving people and making sure they are comfortable. The fact that he expressed what he wanted without inhibition actually made her happy to be around him and allowed her to adjust to him so quickly.

But this she couldn't understand.

Last time she had a curfew was when she was 5. And even that was ruined by her father who kept her up training during those days she'd fail with her assignments in gentle fist forms. She claimed a sense of personal freedom and privacy in being able to stay up at night and train as much as she wants.

She quickly picked up the bucket placing it under the porch and walked inside after Sasuke. He was equipping his jacket and reverse-summoning the weapons arsenal he had on him.

"Why?" She asked him immediately.

He responded still working on his seals, not looking up. "I didn't sleep last night. I need at least 7 hours straight. If you come to bed after me, you'll wake me up."

"I see, I'm sorry..." She responded automatically lowering her voice.

He looked up, now eying her suspiciously for a few moments. "What for?"

She turned red realizing what she just said and responded avoiding his eyes. "I was angry at you.. In my head… Just now…"

He was slightly confused for a few moment, before his eyebrows curved down and he started smirking mockingly. Hinata looked at him and got even more uncomfortable after she saw his face. He appeared amused, but he had trouble doing so without looking evil at the same time. His smile widened when they made eye contact.

She swallowed nervously blushing, looked away and quickly left the room. After she left, Sasuke's smile faded and he wondered where that came from. Taking revenge on Naruto was one thing, but this… This was just petty of him. Then he started smiling again. _She apologized for her thoughts! Haha._

Hinata was sitting on the bed, already done with bathroom and dressed in her two piece white pyjamas with little colourful little bears on them. When Sasuke came in the bedroom, put his sword on the floor and slid it under the bed. He then bit his middle finger, formed 3 handsigns and hit his palm against the wall. A seal flickered on the surface and from that spot two small snakes dropped on the floor.

"Put your ankles and wrists together." He ordered holding the control seal in front of him. "They're just rope."

Hinata remembered how she woke up the last time she was next to him and hesitantly did what was asked. The snakes crawled up on the bed and wrapped around her ankles and wrists turning into rope.

Sasuke went into the bathroom leaving her to awkwardly work on getting under the covers she was previously sitting on.

In the middle of brushing his teeth he felt he was getting an erection. It didn't normally happen at such time of the day, especially with Sasuke being this tired, but he shrugged it off and began the thinking routine allowing him to take control of his body, losing all arousal. He then wiped his face dry and stepped out of the bathroom pleased with his mental control. This even brought on a superiority complex of sorts in Sasuke, when he compared himself to other guys. It's a skill he mastered as a preteen boy, that some of them never do. Or even bother to try. He considered it handling of one's own weakness.

He could see Hinata was trying to fall asleep, only her head sticking out from under the blankets. When he got under the covers, all he had to do now was hug her to make sure she doesn't move around. She had a distinct smell about her. The kind he didn't pay attention to before, and now he couldn't understand why. The fact that all he wanted to do was plant his face on that exposed surface of her light, smooth skin that went from her ear, down her long neck, to the curve leading up to her shoulder, partially hidden by fabric, made him back away in an instant. And again, he was rock hard.

So he turned out to be attracted to her.

It's not like this hasn't happened before, but not being able to walk away from the girl proved to be a bigger problem than he had predicted.

After moments of complete stillness without any change, he got out of bed and walked back into the bathroom. _There are other ways to handle this._ He thought frustrated. He approached the toilet, pulled out his penis, spat in his hand, gripped it, put the palm of his other hand on the bathroom tiles above the toilet while slowly smearing his spit over its entire length. He then leaned forward aiming down carefully and started stroking very fast, as if it was a chore he needed to get out of the way. Already he was breathing heavily and losing control. He instinctively closed his eyes and immediately he saw Hinata, very vividly. Her eyes were closed, her chin thrown back, he could hear her voice twisted and obstructed by breaths..._Sasuke!_ In record 30 seconds he was already gritting his teeth, squeezing the shaft of his penis very roughly causing himself to ejaculate.

He missed the toilet. _How the fuck? This can't happen. _Some of his sperm got in, but the rest ended up on the edge of it and the floor. He was disappointed, slightly irritated with himself. Of course he had no issue with masturbation and his "shameful" lack of aim was only a way to justify the suffocating pressure in his chest. No, this uncomfortable feeling was something much deeper and much more torturous for Sasuke.

He didn't choose to do this. He had to.

When he returned she has fallen asleep. He rotated her to her side, lied behind her, hugged her and closed his eyes thinking about dead baby animals and Orochimaru.

_-…Uchiha household; 5 am…-_

Sasuke opened his eyes relieved the room was still in darkness. He finally woke up before his brother…

He was leaning on Hinata, most of his body on top of her. He quickly moved away rotating on his back. But as soon as she was freed, she started moving as well. Sasuke instinctively bent his leg in the knee before she turned on her back and turned her head to look at him, simultaneously breaking the rope around her wrists.

"When did you wake up?" He asked.

"An hour and a half ago." She lifted her body up as well, untying her legs. "I didn't move and wake you up, did I?" She stopped to look at him worried.

"No." This is what perpetually confused him. He could understand basic help among humans in need, he knew of cooperation, he could understand this much kindness coming from his fangirls, he could understand fake kindness of liars, but this need she had, to go out of her way for random people, even those she just met like stalking, rude, little brats who ate all his onigiri. Or in this case for him, who was a nobody to her, basically, suffocating her by sleeping on her, yet she still let him sleep up to 8 and a half hours without him even asking? _Why?  
_

_-…half an hour later…-_

"I don't need this with me." He looked at the boxed lunches on the counter.

"Oh, ok. I'll let Kiba have two then." She smiled walking in the kitchen.

"You have a mission?"

"I got the order yesterday." She confirmed. "Scouting for team Kurenai and team Guy outside of Konoha. Most of food and weapons supply has been cut off from us for 2 days now." She started putting them in her backpack. "They issued a general warning actually." She added.

"You take the keys." Sasuke stuck his sword on his back completing his preparation for the big day.

"Uhm Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Could you take this one with you?" She pointed at the last lunchbox she was holding. "For uhm… If you see him I mean…" Her face turned red and she was staring at the floor.

"I won't see him." Sasuke lied. _Like I have nothing better to do than to feed Naruto._ He thought slightly annoyed.

_-...Forrest somewhere in the Land of Fire; noon…-_

Four shinobi were spread out in a square formation moving through the forest.

"We better catch these guys now, because I'm not coming out here tomorrow!" Kiba exclaimed.

Tenten complained. "Kiba you've been repeating that since this morning."

"So you better move your assess, or I won't stop repeating it!"

Shino responded. "Kiba we're not speeding up, until we search this area thoroughly."

"I can't smell anything but your crap Shino!"

Shino, the team leader, ignored him focusing on his task.

_-…3 hours later…-_

"We'll stop here for now, we'll search closing a full circle back to the village." Shino commanded and approached a big tree putting his backpack down on the grass.

"Ok." Hinata and Tenten nodded while Kiba continued to pout. "The border is right there, I can smell those cowards all over it." He complained grumpily planting his butt on the ground.

"Kiba we can't cross the borders, you know that." Hinata warned gently, trying to get him to stop picking a fight with Shino. Kiba really hated the fact that Shino always got to be team leader when the two of them ended up on the same team. Despite caring about his teammate very much, he couldn't help but be jealous.

"Yeah, I know that." His face relaxed a bit, though still grouchy. Hinata took out two lunch boxes and handed them to Kiba. He was pleasantly surprised. "Both?!"

Hinata smiled fully now, happy to have cheered him up.

"Hinata you rock!" He was taking the chopsticks out of his bag.

"You only ever say that to people when they give you food." Shino teased him while taking a lunchbox from her as well. Though he did sound serious. Anything Shino says sounds serious.

"Shut up Shino." Kiba's face was practically _in_ the rice.

After a while Tenten finally decided she had to mention what everyone were thinking, but no one dared to start a conversation about this whole time. "Hinata how are you and Sasuke doing?"

Hinata looked at her and smiled politely. "We're good."

"I don't like that guy." Kiba spoke right after, happy someone started the conversation for him.

"Kiba." Shino warned him calmly.

"I don't! That weirdo only ever talks to Naruto. He should have married Naruto!" Kiba responded to him, then turned back to Hinata. "I get that I can't argue about the Hyuuga clan. Ok? I know that. But if that weirdo starts burning stuff and eye bleeding like a maniac again, you just tell me and we'll kill him. Ok?" He was staring directly at Hinata afraid he'll see in her eyes something that didn't belong there.

"Kiba everything is fine." She giggled. She didn't take him seriously at all. "Sasuke really is a nice person." She smiled calmly and he could believe that she was sincere. True, Hinata rarely thought ill of anyone, so her saying Sasuke is nice didn't mean much to Kiba. Still, she looked well and that's what mattered. He was pretty confident in his ability to read her and this response actually allowed him to feel better, before returning to his food.

Shino on the other hand wasn't as assured by her response. It was too emotionless. Even if Hinata didn't have feelings for Sasuke, having been asked about married life should have caused more of a reaction than what she offered. She was too calm and indifferent.

"He's been threatening to kill Sasuke since the wedding." Tenten added annoyed.

"For the last time, I did not try to poison him." He raised his voice at her.

"I know that! You're too dumb to think of something like poison." She on the other hand yelled back.

Shino continued to eat seemingly unfazed, while Hinata was trying to calm the situation.

_-…ANBU headquarters; noon…-_

Sasuke was holding 6 files in his hands, going through them slowly examining the faces in the pictures. "Separate them and interrogate them until they crack, or die under torture. Keep the youngest as a trump card. Don't touch her. Just make sure she doesn't kill herself."

"Sir." One ANBU disappeared.

The second one standing in front of Sasuke spoke now. "Sir, hokage said he wants to meet immediately. He's just outside."

"Take of your mask."

The young man obeyed.

"From now on, no member will have their mask on when speaking to me. How many spies did my predecessor send across the Land of Lightning's border?"

"7." The man looked Sasuke in the eye.

"Pull them all back immediately."

"Yes sir." He disappeared.

Left alone Sasuke turned to look at the medium long, black, high collar, jacket, with several pockets, bent over his chair. He was to replace his flak jacket with it as a sign of accepting the position. He put it on and walked out in the great hall of the ANBU headquarters approaching Naruto.

"Sasuke why are you pulling spies back into the village?"

"I went over all the documents, nothing fit."

"All the documents?! No. Wait..! I provided you with advisors so you wouldn't have to shut down half the units to get a hold of the work."

"I fired them."

"You what?!" Naruto responded surprised.

"They were either idiots, or liars. I have no need for either. They are in back up units now. You can have them if you want."

Naruto exhaled exasperated. "Sasuke those guys were some of the oldest ANBU on the staff."

"Did you want something else?" Sasuke crossed his arms, closing his eyes for a moment.

"No." Naruto responded returning his expression into a look of seriousness, his eyelids lowering. "I gave you my word I won't interfere, so I won't."

"I owe you an ass beating."

"What? Why?!" Naruto asked confused.

"You sent 126 Academy students on my house."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Huh?...Oh!" He now tried to hold in his growing smile, forcefully pursing his lips, after he realized what Sasuke meant.

"You'll pay for it idiot." Sasuke warned as he walked away. Naruto cowered his mouth with his palm restraining laughter. _It took him a year to figure it out! And he calls ME an idiot! "_HAHahahahaha!" He ran out before anyone could see him laughing like a child in the middle of the ANBU headquarters. He feared none of his men would ever take him seriously after seeing that.

_-…Konoha gates; 10pm…-_

Kiba, Shino, Hinata and Tenten have just entered the village greeting Izumo at the gate. They didn't move 20 good steps in when they heard an explosion and then… Screaming.

"What the hell?!" Kiba jumped up and ran forward alarmed, immediately followed by the rest of the team. The sounds were getting louder and more unnerving as they approached the East part of the village.

"The training grounds!" Hinata warned redirecting her team. And there they were. Naruto and Sasuke in full power, attacking one another. They already made a huge crater in the middle of the training grounds and on its edge were hordes of fangirls screaming. But unlike the familiar picture of the Academy days, there were two groups of fangirls. One screaming Sasuke's name, the other Naruto's. If one paid close attention, they could see Naruto's crowd was by a margin bigger.

Team Kurenai and Tenten stood there confused observing the entire spectacle. Suddenly, in full speed Sakura ran past them, lifting Hinata's hair up with the wind she created, jumped in the air where Naruto and Sasuke were at that moment and took Naruto down slamming him into the dirt. Naruto and Sasuke saw her coming and Sasuke held Naruto in place knowing exactly what Sakura was going to do, also knowing Naruto would never hit her back. His plan was realized and now Naruto had his breath punched out of him and was being held down by a furious pink kunoichi who was sitting on his stomach.

"Naruto it's 10 pm! How many times have I told you two to take this to the mountains?!" She was holding him by the shirt.

"I'm…Sorry." He responded adjusting to the new pain.

"You made a crater you idiot!"

"Sasuke made one too!"

"There are two!?"

"No! I mean he made it first, I just made it... Bigger."

"Let him go you witch!" Fangirls have already started calling out to Sakura and gossiping loudly so she could hear them. "Seriously, she's only doing that because she knows Naruto would never hit her back!" "Boooo!"

The other group was cheering calling Sasuke's name saying he won, some of them were now going after him as he started to back away in order to avoid them.

Sakura heard the provocations and stopped moving. Naruto heard them too and he was angered by them. He didn't want Sakura to think he was thinking all this, so he apologized again. "I'm sorry Sakura."

She immediately got off of him and took a step back. Her lips were pressed together and her face sad, almost in pain. Naruto got up as well turning to the crowd and yelled. "Stop it!" He looked furious. "It's my fault! I promised her Sasuke and I won't come here to spar anymore and I broke my promise! Don't you be mean to Sakura!"

Both groups went dead silent after Naruto started yelling. Then after a few moments, they started screaming even more, now all of them directing their attention to Naruto. "He's so cool!"

"Wait, where is he going?"

"Get him!"

Hinata was staring at Naruto mesmerized by his courage to stand up to so many people for his friends. She didn't even pay attention to Sasuke who used the opportunity to leave the crater and has now appeared right behind her, grabbing her hand. Kiba could smell him a mile away, but he refused to turn around to look at him pouting and staring at the battlefield. When Sasuke took Hinata's hand she quickly met his eyes and opened her mouth to call his name. He signalled for her not to speak by lowering his eyebrows, shaking his head only slightly. Shino and Tenten did turn around to see him lead Hinata away without a single word spoken.

"I'll give it to you Kiba, he is weird." Shino said after Sasuke and Hinata disappeared in the dark. He was of course talking about the fact that Sasuke said nothing. Tenten looked at Shino raising an eyebrow. _Look who's talking._

_-…somewhere on the streets of Konoha; one minute later…-_

"Sasuke what is it?"

"You have my keys. If you want to go back, just give them to me."

"I..." She looked down at the road saddened, placing her hands on the straps of her backpack. The last thing she saw was Naruto defending Sakura. As proud as that made her, a part of her was hurting seeing them so close, knowing he'll run after her to comfort her. "I'll go home too." She responded and they just proceeded to walk down the street in silence.

"Why did you and Naruto fight?" She asked when they found themselves half way home.

"For what he told the Academy students."

"But you really love Naruto, so I thought you wouldn't get so mad." She looked at him confused.

Sasuke blushed a little and quickly responded keeping a straight face. "I don't _love_ that idiot."

Hinata looked ahead disappointed with Sasuke having broken his own rule. "You're lying."

Sasuke continued to walk in silence stubbornly refusing to speak for a while. Still, even he knew how hypocritical it would be for him to lie so blatantly after all he made her promise. This girl, expecting him to reciprocate on his demands... A part of him wished she was in love with him like the others he's used to, just so he could ignore her, certain she won't distance herself from him. But he couldn't afford to live next to a question mark. "I wasn't... Mad. We just sparred. Naruto is my friend, I owe him a lot. I do care. About him." He awkwardly got those last few words out of his mouth.

Hinata looked up at him, her face brightening, a smile spreading on her lips. Sasuke wasn't turning his head towards her, but she could still see him blush a little. "But that doesn't make him any less of a pest." He added quickly. "We're adults now, he's become the hokage and he hasn't changed one bit." Sasuke was annoyed again, just thinking about it.

Hinata turned her head away. "Yeah he really is pretty much the same." She was blushing as well staring down the road. But she was a lot redder than Sasuke was. "I'm…I'm actually glad that's true."


	9. Slurpies

_I'm in Sakura's room!_ Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Her parents certainly didn't seem to mind. Had Naruto been any other boy, Sakura's mother might have sent him flying out on the street, but Naruto wasn't just another boy crushing on their daughter. He was _hokage_ who was crushing on their daughter.

Sakura walked in pouting. "Alright mum!" She yelled over her shoulder and into the hallway. She then looked at Naruto. "My mum sent these." She explained the tray of tea and cookies in her hands. Naruto, who was sitting on her room floor, grinned approvingly. She put the tray on her desk and sat on the bed lifting her feet up, leaning against the wall staring at Naruto on her floor.

"Thank you for letting me hide here Sakura."

"You should have ignored them like Sasuke does. Giving them attention only fuels all this." She narrowed her eyes at him.

She was referring to the fact that Naruto tried reasoning with the fangirls instead of evading. He was new to this after all.

"I don't want to be a jerk like Sasuke!" He protested slightly annoyed with her. "Besides, what good does it do him? They still follow him around the next day." He got up and took the cookies of the table, now sitting back down while eating.

Sakura bent her legs closer placing her arms on her knees and her chin on her arms. She watched him eat for a while, her expression serious. "Naruto… They were right. I'm sorry I…" She looked away now staring at the bed pressing her lips together. "You just make me so mad sometimes..!" Her voice was strained.

Naruto stopped and was at first smiling before he started started grinning. Sakura noticed and her eyebrows curled in suspicion.

"I don't mind Sakura. As long you only see me, I'm good." He said it with a blush surfacing on his cheeks.

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes circled and she started blushing as well. Still, her face looked menacing.

Naruto fearfully swallowed what was in his mouth and was now smiling uncomfortably. "I…Ehhehe. I only mean that you didn't even notice Sasuke was there. That's all. It was like you only got mad at me, because you only see m..! Sakura?! What are you do-..!? Aaaaaaaaaah!" Naruto was sent flying out her window, over the balcony, finally landing on the street.

"Sak…Ura."

_-…Konoha gates; 5 days later; 3pm…-_

"The only way they could be evading us is if they have trained sensors with them." Shino responded to his depressed friend.

Kiba protested. "I caught more sensors that you can count."

"You caught 9." Shino responded.

"Whatever! Just because they are sensors they shouldn't be able to predict our movement and evade us for days, WHILE continuing to attack for so long!"

"Arf!" Akamaru who was walking next to him confirmed.

"If they know us they could."

"Konoha has had the number of missing-nin rise lately. They could know us..." Hinata joined in.

Kiba turned to her all of a sudden. "What else did Sasuke tell you!?"

"Uhm, Kiba.. There are posters everywhere." She pointed at the wall next to him.

"Riiight." He turned away in defeat, once again reconciling with the fact that Hinata's marriage to Sasuke will not help him to stick his nose in government business.

Shino spoke. "If you two agree, I'll request Naruto to have current scouting teams split up, covering more ground at once, and assign each one of the scouts a small backup."

"Ok." Hinata nodded.

"Naruto said he'll give us some of his ANBU." Kiba responded.

"It's why I'm proposing this." Shino responded.

After a few moments of silence Kiba remembered. "Hinata are you going to Ino's party tonight?" He peeked in her direction.

"Most likely." She smiled.

"Well yeah, no one can guarantee they'll go 100%, like if they get a mission or something…!" Kiba got nervous, started blushing and babbling having suddenly realised something important.

Hinata looked at Shino. "Shino how about you?"

"I wasn't invited." Shino said in a low voice, hurt apparent in his tone, his head down staring at the road.

"Sakura made an invitation for you too." Hinata responded quickly, feeling sorry for her friend.

"Everyone just forgets about me." He continued in a monotone.

"No really!" Hinata corrected him. "She even made a joke saying she can't forget about you especially."

Shino lifted his head and looked at Hinata. "Then, where is my invitation?"

"Kiba should have given it to you." They were both staring at nervous Kiba expectantly. His eyes were darting from one teammate to the other.

"I..! He ate it!" He pointed at Akamaru.

"Grrr! Arf!" The dog barked angrily at Kiba.

"Kiba of all people to forget about me…" Gloomy atmosphere around Shino just dropped to ice cold.

"Traitor." Kiba hissed at Akamaru.

_-…Uchiha household; 6pm…-_

Sasuke walked in through the door carrying two bags in his hands. Hinata who was standing next to them greeted him with a cheerful smile, genuinely glad to see him. When she found herself alone in a big house without much to occupy her, slight uneasiness overcame her. The only times in her life she was alone in a big house were when every Hyuuga was mobilised and her mother was in a hospital with her little sister, waiting for someone's death. She took the paper bags from him looking inside.

"They are out of rice now?" She asked as she took his jacket with her other hand, hanging it by the door.

"The last shipment sold out 2 days ago." He placed his shoes next to hers underneath the hanger.

"I see." She responded and he followed her to the kitchen. Since she was walking in front of him she looked back and said. "I have potato seeds. You can feed many people on those when food runs out." She smiled encouragingly, now turning left around the wooden kitchen counter.

"Only the food didn't run out. People know we're cut off." Sasuked walked around it on the right. He washed his hands and poured himself a glass of water while Hinata started placing the food in the cabinets and the fridge.

She then put two plates on the counter, with a third larger plate in-between them. It was covered in sushi rolls. Lastly, a cup of soy sauce. There was a look of worry on her face. "There has been talk of war. Everyone's scared."

"Explains why they went out of their way to buy all the food." Sasuke sat at the counter and broke his chopsticks.

She nodded closing the cabinet. "Many of those people moved into Konoha after Naruto became famous. Konoha was proclaimed a safe oasis. Fear of war may cause problems with newcomers." She explained her worry to him. Hinata now reached in her pockets, took out a small packet of ointment, walked behind him, placed the ointment on the table next to him to have both hands to roll the back of his torn collar down. "What happened?" She asked surprised, seeing the surface wound that certainly wasn't a sleek cut Naruto would have made. It was messy. As if someone attempted to saw Sasuke's head off.

"I turned my back on someone I thought was dead." He explained without much detail.

She walked away taking a small piece of cloth from one of the cupboards, soaked it in alcohol and returned standing behind him, wiping the scratch with it, which she then covered in ointment. He didn't react to the alcohol at all. Not even by tensing his muscles like most people. He simply continued to eat. Hinata wondered if his neck was actually numbed, or if he was completely used to it. Either possibility unnerved her. Finally she sat next to him. "I think I can fix your shirt." She noted before beginning to eat herself.

"I'll leave it on the bed." He looked at her while responding, with gentle eyes, and a completely calm expression on his face. The cold tension he usually displays gone.

She envied him a little.

Hinata wished she could relax like that. The pressure that was coming down on the small shinobi village was almost tangible. Best she could muster were smiles in little times of forgetfulness of the situation, because the situation really did have the word WAR written all over it. _Sasuke must have some top-secret good news._ She thought cheering up a little now. _Whatever it is, he's not worried, so I shouldn't be either. _Determination overcame her._ I must do my best to help Naruto and everyone! _She was staring at her food with utmost focus, impaling one sushi roll, pinning it to her plate, as if that was going to save Konoha. Sasuke just kept his eyes front, trying not to smile.

_-…Yamanaka household; 7pm…-_

"Sakura thank you so much for helping us." Ino's mother smiled at the pink haired kunoichi who was decorating the living room by sticking little red bows on the curtains.

"No problem Mrs Yamanaka." The girl smiled politely.

"I just hope she's surprised." The woman placed her palm on her own cheek, looking around the room.

"I'm sure of it."

"Heeel..o?" Naruto walked in the empty living room and stopped confused.

"Hokage! Hello sir! Please come on in!" The woman invited him in, and nervously offered him to sit at the empty table in one part of the room.

"Naruto I said 8 pm, it's 7. What are you doing here?" Sakura got in his way.

"It's 7?! I uh… I'm here to help?" He scratched the back of his head while making up an excuse.

Sakura protested. "You're the hokage, start acting serious already!"

"Of course you can." The woman approached grabbing his arm.

"Yes ma'am." Naruto grinned Sakura's way in a devilish manner, as Ino's mum pulled him away.

_-…Uchiha household; 7:30pm…-_

"Uhm, Sasuke?" Hinata walked in the study wearing a long dark blue dress with white lining and her purple hoodie over it.

Sasuke lifted his head off his papers slightly surprised to see her dressed up like that, quickly glancing over her, remembering why she was dressed up. "Yes?"

"I uhm… I bought a present for you. I mean for Ino... From… From you." she got a little flustered as she was nervous about telling him this.

"I said I don't want to go."

"I know, but I thought you might change your mind and I couldn't ask you then, so I bought one just in case."

"I have to work." He justified himself repeating his last excuse, disappointed with himself for having done that the moment he said it. He wanted to be much more blunt and cold with Hinata, for her not to take his word lightly in the future and think he'll simply continue to change his mind for no reason. Instead he spoke like…_Naruto. Yuck! _He thought.

"I'm going to stay and help you then." She nodded pressing her lips together with a serious expression on her face and began to turn around to go and change.

"No you won't."

She faced him again. "Naruto and Shikamaru said you'll need my help if you have to work tonight. I couldn't possibly leave." She displayed her honesty and compassion with a gesture of placing her open palm on her chest. "Don't worry." She was staring at him firmly, radiating camaraderie out of her entire presence, as if she was assigned an S rank mission by Naruto.

Sasuke realised what they were doing. They wanted to guilt him into going, using Hinata. It pissed him off, but he knew how to mess with people just as much as they did. "Why would you stay here for me?"

"You wouldn't just abandon me if I was burdened." She raised her eyebrows as if that was obvious.

"Yes I would." He quickly corrected her having expected that reply.

Her eyes widened and in that moment, in Sasuke she saw her cousin. She saw Neji. As spiteful and as prideful as he talked himself up to be and as attentive of people, as he really acted in the end. "You haven't so far." She smiled warmly, softly giggling in the end. "You're even trying to send me to the party and do everything yourself." She was looking at him as if Sasuke had just told her he saved a kitten while helping an old woman cross the street.

He lowered his eyebrows trying to stare her down and intimidate, but that didn't happen. All she saw was Neji and the last thing Sasuke could do now was scare her. She tilted her head to the side a little inspecting his face. She didn't know whether she could go change already, or if he had something else to say.

Finally he looked down irritated. He couldn't accept her offer and keep her home, since he couldn't let himself repeat an action of selfish cruelty towards someone who displayed camaraderie and devotion to him. He may as well chidori her like Karin instead. He couldn't say he didn't really have a lot of work, because he already claimed that as an excuse not to have to go out, but he also couldn't just force Hinata to the party alone, because she would think he has something to hide, or worse, that he cares about her more than he cares about his work. He was cornered. _Naruto couldn't have possibly thought this up. _Sasuke finally ended his line of reasoning entertaining himself by pitching ideas for plans that would bring Shikamaru the most pain. He got up and approached her. "Come on. We're going."

"Really?"

"Which present is from me?" He looked at the colourful boxes in her hands.

"Uhm… The blue one." She responded still a bit confused by this sudden change of heart. "And…Uhm, Shikamaru told me to give you this note." She took out a small, folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Sasuke along with the present. He opened it. It said:

_Naruto made me do it. _

_-Shikamaru_

_-…Yamanaka living room; 8:41pm…-_

Sasuke, Shino and Hinata were standing to the side of the room, leaning against a wall one next to the other. The crowd was loud and the tree of them looked out of place. Shino was holding a slurpie he was drinking from time to time. Some of the people were dancing, most were simply standing around talking laughing and singing. Naruto was on the podium with angry Sakura, appearing as if dancing, while he was in reality avoiding her attempts to grab him and hurt him.

"Naruto put that down, it's not becoming of a hokage to drink!" She yelled at him over the music.

"Have you MET granny Tsunade!? You know the one! Your TEACHER!" He was a litle buzzed having tried alcohol for the first time and so easily, his breaks were down. This allowed him to mess with angry Sakura instead of running from her.

"Naruto!" Sakura protested trying to get a hold of him. Instead he dodged her letting her slip past him and then took her hand spinning her around. "Naruto!" He then placed his hand around her waist pulling her close dipping her and lifted her making her sway to the music along with him, placing his chin on her shoulder with a big drunk grin on his face. Despite herself, Sakura started laughing. She had to admit she was having fun and small blush was visible on her face. She was just glad he couldn't see it.

"Got them!" Kiba came out of the crowd carrying 5 little boxes of slurpies (little fruit juice boxes sold in Konoha) in his hands. He approached Sasuke, Hinata and Shino, handing Shino 4, taking one for himself.

"Are you sure you don't want another Hinata?" He purposely ignored Sasuke. She shook her head in response forcing a smile. Kiba put the straw in his mouth and walked back into the crowd.

The 3 of them were visibly uncomfortable in this party atmosphere. It was the biggest party anyone ever threw. No, Ino wasn't surprised at all. She is the one to plan all this out and used Sakura as her puppet in order to make sure her mother makes everything the way she imagined it. She was mingling with the crowd, currently shamelessly flirting with Sai.

Since he walked in the room Sasuke understood one thing. Hinata was his immunity. All his fangirls in the room were stealing glances in their direction, hesitantly and spitefully ogling Hinata. But none of them approached. Sasuke was very pleased with this discovery.

Hinata tried to look pretty for that evening. She swore to herself, she will not chase Naruto anymore, but that bit of hope still burning inside her, gave her motivation to wear a pretty dress that will cause people to notice her. Or more specifically, cause Naruto to notice her. Of course that plan failed. Now only people staring at her were those who wanted to kill her, or those surprised by the fact that she can dress up. Her presence has shrunk, her head was down, her sweaty palms behind her butt against the wall, she was blushing, wanting to be swallowed by the ground.

Ino who took pride in her party couldn't have 3 logs standing by the wall not doing anything. She decided to pull Hinata away, knowing Sasuke will quickly be grabbed by someone as soon as she takes her. It should force both of them to socialise. Then the party will be down to two regular token logs: Cake stuffed Shikamaru who was sleeping on the couch and an always immobile Shino who also just discovered slurpies.

Seeing Ino walk in their direction, Sasuke quickly moved away from the wall standing in front of Hinata, with his left hand in his pocket. He put his right palm on the lower part of the back of her head, and the upper part of her neck, with his thumb sliding behind her ear, pressing her hair in, basically cupping her head to keep it in place. He quickly leaned down, speaking into her ear normally, making sure only she can hear him. "We're leaving in exactly 20 minutes." He let go putting his right hand in his pocket as well and then moved away. She lifted her head making eye contact and replied with a soft, serious look on her face. "Ok." She was surprised with herself as to how well she could cover up her feelings in front of Sasuke, even with him surprising her like this. It hurt to realise she's getting so used to Naruto rejecting her, to be able to hide the pain.

That bit of physical contact intrigued Ino. She never thought she would see either Hinata, or Sasuke behave in such a manner, where non-combatant physical touch, is taken so lightly. Even if it is just his hand on the back of her head. She still appeared casual and unobservant while strolling towards them.

"Having fun?" She asked them both smiling.

Sasuke just looked at her obviously having no intention to yell over the music. Hinata smiled back uncomfortable and nodded a little. Ino grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the wall. "Come on missy, you've got to loosen up."

Having taken 5 steps into the crowd Hinata's entire body went rigid and she froze in place stopping Ino who was holding her hand. Ino turned to look at her. The girl was as red as a tomato.

"Hinata?" she called her name confused.

Hinata started breathing fast trying to calm herself. But she refused to move when Ino pulled her again, thinking she's just being her regular, shy self.

Hinata meekly spoke to the blonge. "Ino…I, uhm…"

"What!?" This one moved closer to her talking loudly indicating she can't hear her.

"I… I got m…" The last fief words out of her mouth were completely drowned out by the music and the crowd around them.

"You got WHAT?!" Ino yelled annoying people who were standing next to them.

Hinata squeezed her eyes gathering the courage to speak loudly into Ino's ear. "Period."

"You're bleeding?!" Ino's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata responded apologetically. She was so excited about going to the party, about daring to wear her blue dress, that she completely forgot to keep track of her menstrual cycle.

The young shinobi who was standing behind Ino heard her say that last sentence. He suddenly turned around alarmed. "Bleeding!?"

Ino just pushed Hinata towards the bathroom, disappearing out of sight. In their place the young shinobi saw his teammate this one stared back at him confused. "Who is bleeding?"

Now a third female chuunin stopped dancing. "Where?!"

"Are we under attack!?" The fourth shinobi joined in.

"You mean like intruders!?"

"Intruders!?" Suddenly 3 shinobi in their vicinity pulled out their kunai, signalling the people around them to stand still and quiet down. It wasn't full 10 seconds until every shinobi in the room was on guard, drawn kunai clinking all over the place, the music was stopped immediately and the room fell into dead silence.

Naruto who has stopped moving released Sakura who was herself turning serious, reaching for her weapon, and fired up his kyuubi mode immediately, now looking around the room confused. He felt nothing out of the ordinary so he didn't understand why everyone in the room drew their weapons. Still he didn't dare say anything. Not until he could be sure. He looked at Sasuke. This one was just deactivating his rinnegan staring numbly ahead as his eyes turned black. For 2 long minutes the world was frozen.

Suddenly Sasuke jerked his head up and manically began to search the room again, red spiral patterns returning. Sasuke understood his weak point very well. _Hinata!_ If those who were against him killed her, they could push him out of the ANBU and turn the Hyuuga against him in no time. She was the most obvious target. But she was nowhere to be seen.

His eyes met Naruto's for a brief moment before he flickered appearing in front of the living room door, opening them, only to first spot Ino who almost walked into him and then Hinata who was following her. Sasuke took a step to the side letting Ino pass. The birthday girl was shocked. Everyone were staring at Hinata and her in silence. She left for 2 minutes and her party was dead.

Hinata stopped at the door. She saw their kunai, she felt the chakra. She was beginning to worry. Still, worse than that was the fact that they were all looking at her as if she was their target.

Suddenly Naruto asked. "Is anyone bleeding in here?! Ino, did you see anything suspicious outside?!"

Immediately realising what happened Hinata's face took on a particularly bright shade of red and she froze in place. Ino quickly turned around to look at her becoming nervous herself, before she responded to Naruto. "No I didn't see anything. Everything is fine. Who killed the music!?" She talked nonchalantly trying to avert the situation back to the party. But seeing Hinata blush so obviously, no one in the room was distracted.

"Hinata?" Naruto called her name. Her body tremored out of nervousness at the sound of his voice. _This can't be happening! This can't be happening! This can't be happening! Speak! You have t..!_

Suddenly a shadow was cast on the floor below her feet. She looked up fearfully and reflexively, unnerved by this, only to meet Sasuke's calm, cold stare. "What happened?"

"I got my period." Was the immediate response out of her mouth.

She didn't whisper. She didn't code her message. She didn't avoid direct reply. She flat out said she got her period in front of all these people.

He did this. Sasuke killed her filter. Her precious filter, her hesitation, her only defence mechanism in the face of curious stares she feared so much. He insisted she speaks plainly and truthfully and he felt familiar as a member of her own family, so much so that his presence created a false environment for her in the midst of all this confusion, tricking her brain into thinking it's home. She soon realised what she said and immediately glanced at Naruto. He was slightly embarrassed himself and obviously speechless.

"Don't." Sasuke spoke in a low tone only she could hear, simultaneously approaching her and taking her hand. Her view of Naruto was now obstructed by his body, breaking her out of the daze. "We're leaving." He said this in a normal tone of voice addressing the others as well, pulling Hinata's hand, making her turn around and follow him towards the hangers with their jackets and the front door of the Yamanaka household.

Silence…

"What was that?" Confused Choji asked Shikamaru, who was sitting next to him, with his kunai still in his hand.

Shikamaru crashed his upper body back down onto the couch, closing his eyes. "False alarm."

_-…empty streets of Konoha not far from Yamanaka house; 9pm…-_

Hinata and Sasuke were walking, holding hands ever since the Yamanaka house. He was sure people observed them as they left. His one free hand was in his jacket pocket, and hers was covering her tightly shut eyes. Her face looking more red than usual when in contrast with the pale skin of her palm. Sasuke was smiling now. In fact he couldn't stop. If he only knew why he was smiling, maybe he could stop.

Having reached a turn, she felt him pull her to the left and finally lowered her palm looking around to locate her position relative to her environment. They've walked quite a bit of distance. Sasuke looked at her while doing his best to appear serious. They were alone in the dark and she opened her hand signalling him to let go. "When we get home." He responded to that squeezing her hand tighter, then relaxing it a bit, allowing her to wrap her fingers around his palm again.

5 minutes later her face was white again, her voice calm. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be." He responded.

"In front of everyone I..!" She was staring at the road regaining her blush as the scene and the look on Naruto's face came before her eyes.

"I asked you in front of everyone." His lips curved into a small betraying smile again.

"I guess…"

"Whisper next time." There it was, his smile widening, fuelled by the strange tingling in the middle of his chest, around his neck and ears. Sasuke figured this _was_ kind of funny after all…

**RONNTUONNTHUNN!**

A signalling explosion tag loudly sounded the thunder-like alarm above the village gates on the West.

**RONNTUONNTHUNN!**

A second one exploded above the South Gate. Two shinobi stopped, looking up at the sky, standing surprised for a fief seconds. The next second they let go and disappeared in the dark running in the opposite directions. Sasuke towards the gates, while Hinata was running back to the house as fast as she could move in her long blue dress.

_-…Hokage mansion, the big hall on the first floor; 9:15pm…-_

"I want trackers outside the gates until called back! Yuhi Kurenai, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Uchiha Hinata will lead the teams! Nawako Sera, Ino Yamanaka and Ten..!" Naruto was urgently reading the assignments from the paper in his hands as the Shinobi disappeared from the room one by one. Shikamaru interrupted him and was pointing to a spot on the paper now telling him something. Kakashi was leaning over Naruto's shoulder from the other side inspecting the paper as well, before he turned to an ANBU behind him and told him something making him leave the room. Naruto started talking again. "Ino Yamanaka, you will go with Haruno Sakura, and Yamanaka Santa to the ANBU headquarters! Next, Nawako Sera, Tenten.."

_-…ANBU headquarters; 9:30 pm…-_

"...but it was encrypted."

"Then take it to Cryptology!" Sasuke raised his voice at the red haired jonin walking next to him, while keeping his eyes focused on the shinobi in front of him. The man disappeared.

"Sasuke." Sakura called his name seeing him approach her, Ino and Santa.

"Sasuke." So did Ino.

"How good are you with team interrogation?" Sasuke asked the two Yamanaka clan members.

"Pretty good." Santa replied while Ino just stared at Sasuke serious.

"Sakura, make sure he doesn't die." Sasuke looked at Sakura explaining her her task and opened one of the doors in the large underground hallway, showing them the interrogation room with Ibiki and two more men in ANBU outfits. They slowly stepped inside and Sasuke shut the door behind them immediately.

Ibiki turned to them. "Hokage sent you?"

"Yes sir." Sakura responded.

"Alright, you two over there. Haruno, to the left." Ibiki only recognised Sakura, which slightly grated Ino. She wasn't there because of her medical skills at all.

_-…30 minutes later…-_

6 shinobi were surrounding the table on which an older man, wearing a Leaf jonin outfit, was strapped down. On his head was an odd metal hat that had wires connected to same hats on the heads of the 4 shinobi of the Yamanaka clan, two of which were ANBU. Sakura was standing in the middle, glowing a green light above the man's chest and head with both her palms. The Yamanaka were holding hand signs in place, eyes closed and only one of them (ANBU with a dog mask) was talking while Ibiki supervised the whole thing, writing down something on occasion.

"The food hangar they blew up was just a distraction. No... There is something… Kill? … Kill Uchiha." The ANBU finally said.

Suddenly all 4 Yamanaka opened their eyes and Sakura's green light went out immediately. "I have to tell him." She said alarmed taking a step back.

"Sakura we don't know yet." Ino warned her, but Sakura took another step back and ran out of the room the next second. She sprinted through the hallway a familiar fear creating pressure in her chest. She could not let this happen. Not after all they've been through to bring Sasuke home. Getting up on the first floor of the compound Sakura ran into the first open door she found. It was another section's hallway with two guards standing around. "Where is Sasuke!?" She asked them loudly through breaths.

The two of them looked at one another not saying a word. "I'm Sakura Haruno, just tell me!"

The one with a rabbit masked finally replied. "Second floor, the middle doors, left."

Sakura ran upstairs drawing attention of the whole building to herself and barged into Sasuke's office.

It was empty. She ran to the window and could see him out in the street surrounded by 4 ANBU and Kakashi walking next to him. She opened the window and jumped down on the street in front of them. "Sasuke!"

All 6 of the shinobi stopped looking at her. "What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"You are the target! They read: Kill Uchiha..."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment, then turned to one of the ANBU next to him and whispered something sending him ahead. "Alright, is that all you have?"

"But you can't leave the village before we know for sure!" She exclaimed seeing how he had no intention of turning back.

"Is that all you have?" Sasuke was growing irritated with her.

"Sasuke…" She looked at him furrowing her eyebrows. He just stared at her with an annoyed, cold expression on his face.

Kakashi intervened. "Sakura we're leaving for the capitol so we can get help from the daimyo and allow Naruto to stay in Konoha. I will protect Sasuke I promise."

Sakura looked worried none the less. Sasuke just passed her followed by the 3 ANBU. To him, this speech didn't make any sense as he deemed himself strong enough to kill his entire team. _He will protect me? Right…_

"You keep an eye out on Naruto." Kakashi added through a smile before he left after them as well.

_-…Konoha gates; 10:13 pm…-_

"That's what I mean. Can you be of any use to me if we do fix this?"

"I'm Naruto's senior advisor and I carry the seal. Sasuke, do you really think I would be going with you if I didn't have the authority?"

Sasuke didn't ask any more questions. He turned to the little station Kotetsu was sitting in. "Sasuke Uchiha." He spoke to Kotetsu who used a jutsu to examine if he was real before he wrote down his name. Kakashi approached after Sasuke. "Hatake Kakashi." Kotetsu activated the justsu and Kakashi continued to speak. "You know Sasuke, you're not the only Uchiha in the village." Kakashi was talking about Hinata.

"What of it?"

"That's what Sakura said. Kill Uchiha, right? Maybe it's not you."

Sasuke stopped moving for a moment, with his back turned on Kakashi. Kakashi lowered his eyebrows growing a bit more tense, curious about this whole ordeal, ever since he got back to Konoha and heard his student was married.

Kakashi has taken on a role of an ambassador a month after Naruto became hokage. He has been traveling in and out of the village the whole time and was not in the know. He played the role of a hokage away from home in Naruto's stead, while Naruto gets trained for his duties. He was not participating in his and Shikamaru's inside plans, and the consensus was among the 3 of them, that it is safest it remains that way. Kakashi sincerely doubted it, but as far as he was told, Sasuke married the Hyuuga heiress in order to fulfil a contract and uphold the honour of his family.

Unfortunately for Kakashi Sasuke didn't respond at all in the end. He simply kept walking out of the village.

_-…Forest outside of Konoha, 9 kilometres- East; 10:14 pm…-_

"Stay in formation!" Tired Hinata yelled to the 3 young Hyuuga around her.

"Why are the decoys not working?!" Hanabi exclaimed frustrated.

"They are focusing on me. I will give you 5 seconds to escape and get backup, ok?"

"I can fight!" Hanabi protested angrily. "Send Reita!"

"I'm sending you." Hinata responded blocking a shuriken thrown at her using a gentle fist technique, creating a blast release of chakra.

"Now!" 3 Hyuuga charged at the enemy, while Hanabi disappeared in the trees in the opposite direction.


	10. Because Reasons

It was an ambush. At least 30 of them popping out from all directions. Hinata and her squad were closely followed and the only hope on the horizon was Hanabi sent to bring reinforcements.

"Speed up to the front!" She instructed the genin around her. They were only a Hyuuga backup scout team. Some of the people closing in on them were jonin. She herself felt the situation was hopeless and the only thing she could do at this point was buy time. "Start marking a trap 4 and keep going!" She suddenly stopped in the middle of the clearing they have run out on. She stood in her guard with focus on every point in the space around her, waiting... The genin surrounded her, quickly laid explosive tags and wire around the edge of the clearing and after that, they all kept running in the direction of Konoha, marking the path behind them with explosive tags as they went.

Seeing her waiting for them, the first thing the pursuers used to to test the waters was a rain of shuriken she repelled with a quick rotation. She then waited a few moments expecting them. She could see them clearly with her byakugan and they all knew that. At least some of them did. She recognised a woman she used to consider her comrade. At the first person to cut the wire and stick their nose on the clearing area, she sent 5 chakra infused kunai into the trees causing a chain reaction of explosions.

Two bodies hit the ground and the silence came down on the clearing. They were trying to determine how deep the trap ran, but must have felt pretty good about it, since the next attack followed in 20 seconds after the blast. A jonin to get to her first was attacked by her lion fist justu, only to evade it fairly easily and electrocute her the next second. She fell to the ground and disappeared into thin air.

Her shadow clone didn't do as well as she expected, only having bought her 1 minute of head start. The explosive tags were marked up by the Hyuuga genin in a specific pattern, so that the Konoha members running through them knew how to avoid them without seeing each one. So finally, she could see which ones were the missing nin of Konoha among their pursuers. 5 of them kept up with her pace at the front. The rest of the group was following their jumping patterns, or falling behind, because they couldn't get through the tags themselves at full speed.

"Drop them!" She yelled to her teammates as soon as she caught up with them. The genin stopped marking the trees and started running faster followed by Hinata.

Her trap had her running one minute ahead, but she could see the genin slowing down. She knew their head start was going to run out sooner than later. Someone behind her had a summoning contract, because she could also see cheetahs appear out of thin air behind them.

The time had run out.

She stopped. "Keep going!" She instructed her team. Now the rest of them stopped as well turning back to look at their cousin. No trap, no backup plan. She was sacrificing herself so they could escape. "Go!" She repeated urgently getting in her fighting stance, lifting chakra to the surface of her body, enveloping herself in it. Her dark hair began to levitate slightly due to the thin force field she created.

The first cheetah to get to her was evaded, only to be followed by two more. She danced around the agile, thin animals which were twisting their bodies, jumping on her trying to grab her. She knocked 2 out, but her pursuers have now surrounded her, and the rain of shuriken that came down on her couldn't be evaded seeing how she had nowhere to run, but she relied on her chakra control.

Surprisingly, the shuriken weren't repelled by her chakra cloak as she expected them to be. As if someone knew exactly how to infuse them to counter her. Knowledge only Hyuuga shinobi should have. They were stuck in her back, shoulders, legs, burning her flesh like fire. Her body went numb. _Naruto!_ She was losing consciousness and the last thing she saw before darkness surrounded her was a little black bug landing on the tip of her nose.

_-…capitol of the Land of Fire; 14 hours later – 3pm…-_

In the large reception hall Daimyo and his advisors were sitting across the table from Sasuke and Kakashi. Daimyo was a lanky man. Very gentle in demeanour and as hard as he tried to appear serious, one could tell he was not in his element. His large hat was tilting and he kept adjusting it, fidgeting and reaching for his water.

Next to him were his people. Head of treasury Imako Mayakawa, a shrewd, bulky, middle aged man with small blue eyes and a piercing glare. He was a former shinobi. Not announced as one but both Sasuke and Kakashi could tell judging from the scars going across his face and his developed chakra network Sasuke checked out before they came in. On the other side was his secretary of the Land of Fire, Alen Riah, a delegate between the daimyo and every organisation in the Land of Fire. An old man, who had remarkable height, built and posture for a non-shinobi his age. His straight white hair was falling down to his shoulders, framing his long, wrinkled face. Both of these guys looked like sharks next to their awkward childlike daimyo, even though the daimyo himself appeared to be in his forties.

Sasuke and Kakashi arrived early in the morning and have demanded audience with him immediately, which of course meant they waited for 8 hours.

In the past month a dispute has been created between the capitols and the shinobi villages due to the interest of the villages to connect in a sovereign unit and detach from the countries. An initiative Konoha and Suna began, after which they planned to have other villages join them into a complete Shinobi Alliance on a political, not just a military level.

However…The countries feared that if the villages united, one country would take all their power for itself and enslave the rest of the countries. Naturally, the only way the daimyo of the Land of Fire was going to agree to this is if the shinobi promised him he'd be the one to enslave. Or at least the documents said so. It was apparent that the daimyo had no involvement in the negotiations, as he hasn't spoken a word this whole time. _A puppet ruler._ Was the name that came to Sasuke's mind as this was his first time meeting the daimyo.

"..and that is our offer." Alen finished speaking.

"You do understand you cannot terminate a 100 year contract between the Land of Fire and Konoha after you've renewed it not 20 years ago. We would have every right to assault the capitol." Kakashi responded.

"Yes we understand that." Alen replied. "We also understand you wish to terminate that same contract yourself, so we have every right to protect ourselves."

"We have never touched it. The sovereignty that currently belongs only to Konoha would be transferred to the shinobi alliance. You have never had any of that control."

"Kakashi spare me the loopholes. We all know the impact of what your hokage is asking."

"A loophole or not, it is still a part of our sovereignty. We can give our freedom to the Alliance as it does not belong to you anyway. Konoha shinobi serve you, but we are not your servats."

The man started laughing and clapped his hands twice in amusement. "That is nice! Haha. That is just perfect! That blonde kid may be an idiot, but he can certainly influence people, I'll give him that! Hahaha!" Sasuke was getting pissed off and Kakashi exhaled carefully observing Alen.

This was not because the Secretary of Land was making fun of Konoha and Naruto, as much as he was stalling with intention of pissing them off and winning the negotiations. Sasuke wasn't the person to stand beating around the bush. He finally intervened. "Are you ready to fight Konoha?"

"Oh no my boy, by no means are we ready. You, well… You would crush us."

That was disturbing. He said it with a big smile on his face. If Konoha were to assault the capitol and take over the governing of the entire Land of Fire, they'd win. _So why is he smiling?_ Sasuke focused on this guy beginning to understand Kakashi's careful choice of words and attention to the situation.

"The only thing we are asking right now is cooperation. The village has been assaulted on all fronts and has been for a while now." Kakashi responded.

"I don't see how is that my problem. You are the shinobi and you want us to protect you?" The head of treasury Imako responded raising an eyebrow.

"We rely on you for supply as you rely on us for protection. Change the routes for your merchants who travel East and South. We will provide escort for them. And expand our jurisdiction on private estates of the Land of Fire. We need to catch the shinobi who are doing this."

"My merchants have the other half of this country to feed. You have your supply. You are welcome to escort anyone you want, but if your merchants get taken out, there is nothing we owe you. As for the private estates, that is a definite no."

"We have a reason to believe they are harbouring criminals against Konoha and the Land of Fire."

"That is not my problem. These people make this country move. You will NOT touch them."

"We will talk to them then." Kakashi responded.

"They will not talk to you." Imako responded to him seriously.

Kakashi exhaled. "As far as merchants are concerned, we are willing to travel their full routes with them until we get them into Konoha."

"That is fine with us. There are 60 merchants on a monthly basis for Konoha."

"We can cover them."

"Our counter offer still stands. Become our army and we will transfer you here and give you anything you need." Imako gestured to the room with an open palm.

They have been trying to bribe Kakashi for a year now. It has so far turned into a long running private joke between the 3 of them. Kakashi closed his eyes laughing a little. As intimidating these guys were, they had this charm to them, knowing how to smooth out even the most hostile of conversations.

Sasuke however did not smile for one second. He almost had an allergic reaction to slick charm of any form. One might say he didn't seem like he fit in there.

_-…Capitol Inn, guest room on the third floor; 11pm…-_

Sasuke was standing leaning against a wall next to the front door of the suite. Outside 3 ANBU were keeping watch. Kakashi was sitting on his bed, going through his backpack, looking for something.

"As far as I'm concerned we should simply take over." Sasuke said to him.

"Sasuke it all comes down to Naruto's word. You know he would never agree to this. Hell, _they_ know he would never agree to this."

"Tch! It's fucking obvious they are attacking us to get us to sign over as the military."

"They have been trying to do that ever since Hashirama and Madara started this village. This is nothing new."

"Naruto lit a fire under their assess with his non contractual Alliance bullshit. Even I'd do the same in their shoes."

"Have you confirmed any of this?"

"Some. The network of the underground gets mangled once my ANBU cross the borders. Someone on the outside is working with them."

"That would never slide Sasuke." He finally found his document he was now sealing and sticking to a falcon's leg. "They can't afford to betray their own shinobi village by working with someone outside. They would be leaving themselves open for attack. Daimyo may seem like it, but even he is not that stupid."

"How this ends will not hang on Naruto's word alone, I guarantee you that."

"We can't afford a war without reason. If we start up a war, even within our borders, we would be back to square one. This is the closest to peace we've ever gotten."

"I'm going back to the village tonight." Sasuke said to him after a brief pause.

"We can leave in the morning. You should get some sleep."

"The village was under attack when we left."

"If you're worried we could have sent a falcon to..."

"I have work to do." Sasuke cut him off.

Kakashi lowered his eyelids and raised his eyebrows staring at his former student curious. Sasuke picked up his backpack hanging it over one shoulder and opened the room door. "Later." He left.

_-…Naruto's apartment; 4am…-_

Sasuke walked into Naruto's room and hit the light switch. "Get up."

"Wha..WHAT!? SASUKE?!"

"Get up. We didn't make the deal with the daimyo."

"Get out you stupid asshole! I'm sleeping!" Naruto dropped his head back down on his pillow covering his head with the blanket.

"Get up." Sasuke walked past his bed grabbing his blanket pulling it off of him, dropping it on the floor.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed through clenched teeth.

"Now." Sasuke raised his voice sitting at the table in the middle of Naruto's room pushing all the trash on it down on the floor.

"Aargh! I'll kill you!" Naruto suddenly jumped up standing on his bed in a fighting stance, quite angry.

"We didn't make the deal." Sasuke repeated. "We might go to war."

Naruto now stood upright staring at Sasuke for a moment. "War? With whom?"

"The daimyo. I recommend we execute the government, the great lords and replace their entire lineages."

Naruto's jaw dropped a little. "Have you gone insane?"

"They are the ones attacking us. We can't afford their resistance at any point now that we are so close to a full Shinobi Alliance."

"No!" Naruto jumped off the bed. "Hell no!" He approached the table sitting down now looking at the scrolls Sasuke has laid out on the table.

"If you refuse to let me execute them, I have my own ways of taking them down."

"Wait..! What happened?! Why didn't they agree?"

"I told you moron. They are the ones attacking us. They are trying to make us into their army."

"Yes, but..?"

"My spies have infiltrated today. I got the word 1 hour ago. It took them 16 hours total. The traitors you assigned me for advisors are being interrogated right now."

Naruto pressed his lips together staring at the table. "Sasuke why couldn't you wait till morning?"

"We need to react before they do. You need to send out people to stock the village up with goods, then close us off and let me do my job."

"You're not executing the daimyo and you're not rerouting the merchants aimed at some place else." Naruto narrowed his eyes, staring at him irritated.

"Fine. Let's hear your plan."

"Plan!? No..! What?! It's the middle of the night you lunatic! Shikamaru's not even here. I need to think this trough… We can't just..! No!"

"Listen dumbass, I'm not asking you to execute anyone right now. I need to cover 60 merchants to stock up the village. The sooner the better."

"Did they say what happened to our merchants?"

"Of course they didn't, they took them out themselves. They want to weaken us."

"You're not going to war either." Naruto responded crossing his arms.

"I did not say that." A vein popped up on Sasuke's forehead. "You're like a fucking tree stump." He hissed irritated.

Now Naruto was getting angry again, gritting his teeth.

Sasuke continued. "I'm not starting one, I'm preventing a war. If I take those guys out and replace them with someone who is afraid of us, no harm will come to anyone else."

"No! That's not how you build peace! You can't kill your own daimyo and expect to enter an alliance based on cooperation, honour and trust. If I can't sustain my own village in my home land, I can't sustain it in an Alliance either!" Naruto responded decisively, keeping his arms crossed on his chest.

Sasuke exhaled his face relaxing into an expressionless one. They sat in silence for a while. Suddenly Sasuke broke it. "We need Shikamaru."

"Yep… Wait. No! Sasuke it's the middle of the night!"

Sasuke pushed the scroll across the table rolling it back up and put it back into his backpack, now repeating the process with the rest of the scrolls. "I need him more than you right now, you don't have to come."

"Sasuke I'm serious. If you wake him up, he'll sleep around my office and move like a sloth all day."

"That's what he normally does." Sasuke closed his backpack.

"I mean even more than he normally does! Hey wait already! What's wrong with you?" Naruto grabbed his shoulder looking at him concerned.

"Let me go." Sasuke glared at him.

"Hey, come on now. I'm just asking!"

Sasuke simply began to turn around, freeing his shoulder from Naruto's grip, going towards his window he obviously used to come into the room.

"I'm serious, don't wake up Shikamaru." He warned him, before Sasuke disappeared into the night.

Naruto noticed a tiny rolled up piece of paper on the floor. "Hey you dropped your..!" But Sasuke was already gone. Naruto picked it up and opened it not caring for Sasuke's privacy one bit.

_**Status report **__-_

_ANBU__/ __3 __noted deaths; __No __permanent injuries_

_Mariho Ashantaki(chunin-ANBU)- superficial injury; homecare_

_Rio Havara(jonin/ABNU)- KIA_

_Lina Havara(jonin/ANBU)- KIA_

_Emuto Kenna(chuunin/ANBU)- KIA_

_Regular__/ __No __noted deaths; __No __permanent injuries_

_Hinata Uchiha(chuunin)- heavy injury, poisoning; Intensive Care Unit (ICUw5) – Konoha Hospital_

_Yamanaka Santa(jonin)- superficial injury; homecare_

_Shiho Otoya(chuunin)- missing; presumed KIA_

_-...Shikamaru's apartment; 4:30am…-_

Temari drowsily stumbled to the door in her green nightgown, with her blonde hair falling down to her shoulders, slightly ruffled indicating she just got out of bed. Sasuke was standing in front of Shikamaru's apartment. "Uh. Sasuke…"

"Can you get Shikamaru?"

The girl blinked a couple of times still waking up. "Right. Wait there." She walked back into the apartment. Sasuke could now hear Shikamaru's voice. "Uhuh.."

"Come on he's not my problem."

"Tell him I'm dead."

"Shikamaru." There was apparent irritation in her voice. And then silence. Temari just went back into bed not caring what happens to Sasuke. Now Shikamaru had no choice but to get up. "Yo." He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, still half asleep.

Sasuke got to the point immediately. "Negotiations failed."

"And?"

"We need to decide what to do from this point on. Naruto refuses to let me execute them as you can imagine."

"I agree with him, though most likely, not for the same reasons."

"Why then?"

"If they refused you, chances are they are against us. But you can't stand alone against your own shinobi village. Which means they have allies on the outside. Whatever you think you know is probably not even scratching the surface, which judging by your intentions is a good assessment on my part. I'll need more information and at least 25 back up strategies, most of which Naruto won't approve of either way."

Sasuke was slightly impressed with such a quick analysis, with Shikamaru even pointing out things that never crossed his (Sasuke's) mind. Though he didn't show this to him.

Shikamaru added annoyed. "It's what? 3 am?"

"4."

"You may be able not to sleep for two days, but I'm not."

Sasuke stared at Shikamaru carefully, coldly, a bit taken aback by him having figured this out. Though it should be obvious to anyone who calculated the time needed to go the the capitol, time it was when they got there and time one needed to meet the daimyo.

"Whatever the strategy, we need to resupply the village now and create at least two more bases as soon as possible." Sasuke responded.

"Look, I presume you're going to send your own men. Right? That's more than enough for now. Daimyo is stalling… You know as well as I do that this can wait. You didn't have to..Look, I gotta sleep. Don't you have anything more important to do?" Shikamaru twisted his eyebrows.

"Like what?" Sasuke lowered his.

"Your supposed wife is in the hospital." There was a bit of snark in Shikamaru's voice.

"She's heavily guarded."

"What?" Now a smile broke out on his face. "Wait, you're serious. ." He continued to chuckle a little.

Sasuke didn't understand where that came from, so it only annoyed him. He had his reason to guard Hinata. With her dead, Sasuke could lose everything.

Shikamaru added apologetically seeing his mood shift. "I mean, you don't trust a shinobi hospital." He lied as to why he was laughing.

Not finding this funny at all, Sasuke redirected the topic. "I need you in by 8."

"You know, you should be in the hospital with her. Appearances and all..." Shikamaru was still smiling.

Sasuke continued to glare at him annoyed.

"8 I heard you." He finally confirmed lazily.

_-…1 minute later…-_

Shikamaru crawled into bed next to his girlfriend closing his eyes. He woke her up again as he came in. She was slightly angry. "What the hell did he want?" She asked mumbling, not opening her eyes.

"His wife is in the hospital."

"Yeah, so?"

"He's taking it out on me."

_-…Konoha ANBU headquarters; 5am…-_

Sasuke was sitting alone in his office. The headquarters are normally very quiet, reflecting the nature of the organisation itself, but in these morning hours, when there are no muffled sounds coming from the village outside, or the rooms inside, the only word adequate enough to describe the place is _dead_.

Sasuke liked it.

Having sent out people where they need to be and handled work that needs doing Sasuke would normally either go out on a mission, go and try to beat up Naruto in the mountains, or go home.

Naruto was asleep and missions have been handed out, but he couldn't bring himself to go home. _What is the point? I can shower here and I can't go sleep for 2 hours, I may as well wait. But why the hell would I wait out for 2 hours doing nothing? I should go to the hospital. I need to check on her anyway. How can I know I can trust all of my ANBU in there? Her killer could be there. Even if I can trust them, they're known to fuck up. Plus Shikamaru has a point. It's my job to keep up appearances. The hospital is the only logical destination. I'm wasting time here. The ICU wing 5?_ Sasuke reached for his pants pocket looking for a rolled up piece of paper he was keeping in there. It was empty. _Shit. I'll just start in the wing 5. _

_-…Konoha hospital-wing 5-room713; 5:10am…-_

Sasuke walked in the ICU. Hinata was alone in there with two empty beds next to hers. Around the room were 5 ANBU.

"Sir." One of them turned around bowing alone, while the rest stood still.

Sasuke ignored him approaching the bed. She just looked as if she was asleep. But her bangs that usually densely covered her forehead, have been moved to the side and stuck with pins, so head monitor could be attached on the sides of her forehead. That curse mark was for the first time staring Sasuke in the face, completely unobstructed. Her arm was receiving an IV drip and a bunch of other stickers for the monitors of her vitals could be seen going under her blanket.

"Were any of you with her?" He asked still staring at Hinata's face.

"No sir, she was leading a scouting squad."

"What happened exactly?" He looked at the cat masked ANBU. The woman took off her mask and continued with her explanation. "The report states they were ambushed. A whole platoon attacked them."

"Do you have proof she was targeted?"

"No sir, but we have prepared for the possibility we have spies in our ranks." It was implied the only way Hinata could have been targeted is if someone on the inside let others know exactly where she was going to be. It's why every attacker on the scene was after her and not clashing with anyone else.

"Where is Yamato?"

"He hasn't returned."

"Alright. Get out." He didn't feel like he had to do anything in front of his ANBU, since they were the last people to ask questions anyway. Sasuke walked around Hinata's bed closing the window preventing cold, fresh air from blowing into the room, while the 5 ANBU left. He then turned around and looked at Hinata again noticing only one blanket was covering her up to her breasts. He approached her and touched her hand out of curiosity. _What __does__ happen to her in the cold? _Her palm was freezing. She gently closed her hand around his 4 fingers at the touch.

Sasuke usually considered he had to do this, but he didn't really mind holding her hand either way. He never really found purpose in many of the pleasures of this world. If it didn't bring him power, if it wasn't useful in some way, allowing him to accomplish a goal, he discarded it. That's how he observed holding Hinata hand as well. As something useful, with a purpose. At what point it became pleasurable, he didn't really know. But he enjoyed the softness, the size of her palm, her hand adjusting to his, as if melting in it. He loved how the grip of it was never the grip of battle he's used to, yet strong enough to hold onto him.

He let go drawing a small chair towards her bed and sat down next to her placing his elbows on his knees, now automatically taking her hand again, but this time with both of his. He trapped her palm in between his, slowly rubbing her hand, lifting it off the bed, heating it up, while observing her. She was moving her shoulders up towards her ears and thanks to the thin hospital nightgown he could see the contours of her big, soft breasts "crowned" by erect nipples due to the cold. He didn't really look at them directly. He wouldn't allow himself to do that. Spending 5 years with blue balls was something he still refused to make peace with, persistently searching for a way to avoid arousal in her presence. Especially now, in a public building. Not to mention the twisted aspect of her being injured and unconscious. He looked at her arm seeing light hairs on it standing up, and indulged his urge to slide his palm down it to heat her up, all the way to the band aid sticking a needle for the IV against her skin. _What moron opened the window?_ He thought frustrated, feeling the goose bumps on the surface of her skin under his fingertips.

Suddenly the doors started opening and Sasuke immediately let go of Hinata as if startled, straightening his body, confused with himself as to why he acted like this. He is supposed to keep up appearances, he's supposed to hold her hand when someone comes in. But now that he already let go, he refused to fidget and simply waited for the person to step inside. Wearing her medical scrubs with a chart in hand, it was Sakura who walked in. "Sasuke!" She called his name surprised. "What are you doing here so early?" She asked with a lower tone of voice.

This is what Sasuke's brain did in the next second:

_Appearances? Fuck no, I'm alone in here._

_Couldn't go home? Could have gone anywhere else._

_Don't trust my ANBU? I'm visiting not guarding her._

_Lie I'm worried? Sakura knows our marriage is not real._

_How the fuck did I explain this before?!_

"I was bored." He fired the last response that came into his head.

"You were bored?" Sakura asked stunned, her expression sinking into a mix of confusion and sadness. She didn't believe him.

"I thought I'd come here and see if she'll live." He lied. He already found out her status while in the capitol.

"I see." Sakura's face picked up in brightness as if on Q. "She'll be fine. I gave her an antidote already and patched her up. She's here for monitoring." She explained while approaching her bed opposite of Sasuke. Sakura took Hinata's right hand, lifted it holding her palm in hers and felt the pulse on her wrist, using two fingers of her other hand.

"Naruto." Hinata said quietly in her sleep.

Sakura smiled looking at her now even more cheerful. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit, as he focused on the girl's sleeping face in confusion. "She said it when I took her hand yesterday as well. Naruto held her hand on the battlefield. In the last war..." She explained to Sasuke. "She saved him from despair. She may have saved us all." Sakura said this last sentence looking at Hinata with kindness and loyalty in her eyes.

Sasuke got up immediately, body straight and obviously stiff. "When will she go home?"

"The drugs should wear off by noon. She'll wake up then." She turned around. "You know we could… Sasuke?"

Sasuke was already out the door, now being quickly replaced by the 5 ANBU who were returning into the room. Sakura tried to ignore them. As if they weren't there. They were under orders, but seeing how she was in charge of Hinata, she found these guards to be an insult to her abilities.

_-…the mountains- 1 kilometre outside of Konoha; 6 pm…-_

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL?! We said not to go over 5 kilotons!" Naruto was yelling at Sasuke having been pushed back by his jutsu, now moulding a morbidly large bijuu bomb in revenge.

"Stop bitching and fight!" Sasuke criticized him, repositioning himself bringing his Susanoo in full form, now aiming an arrow at Naruto.

"You asked for it!" Naruto responded with a mischievous grin on his face and proceeded to fire the bomb at his friend.

_-…34 minutes later…-_

"Hey Sasuke." Naruto spoke to him lying down in the dirt, his clothes filthy and full of holes.

"What?" Sasuke was sitting, catching his breath.

"Why did you call me now?"

"I can't train as well without you, don't be an idiot." Sasuke pulled a water bottle out of his backpack.

"No I mean... Hinata was released today and all." Naruto responded staring at the sky with a worried look on his face.

"If you're so worried about her, just go after her." He opened the bottle and started drinking.

"Well yeah she's my friend, but aren't you worried too? I mean you live with her, she must be waiting and all."

Sasuke didn't respond. He simply put the bottle back into his backpack.

Naruto continued. "I know you're going back to the headquarters to head out and meet squads 4 and 7, but I can do that for you if you want."

"You can't." Sasuke responded and closed his backpack before he added. "I told you, if you're worried, just visit her. Don't piss me off." He put it over his shoulder.

"I actually have a date with Sakura. I mean, not like a real date. It's at her house. Her mother invited me to dinner." Naruto was already smiling thinking about Sakura. "But Hinata… You have to…With her." _Show emotion! Hinata is a sensitive person and she considers you a friend you moron!_ How does one convince _Sasuke _of something like that?!

Sasuke lowered his eyebrows staring off into the distance rather confused with the connectedness and reasons behind Naruto's ramblings. Easiest thing to do was not to dwell on them anyway. "Later." He got off the ground having rested sufficiently and began to walk back towards the village.

_-…Uchiha household; 7:37 pm…-_

"Did they have those knives that connect and spin in the air like a shuriken?!" Tinra, girl sitting next to Kato peered at Hinata excited. The little crowd of Hinata and the 5 academy students were around the low, dark wooden table in the living room. Hinata smiled at her question. "No, they didn't."

Kato pointed out. "Oooh, that's lucky."

"Yes it is." Hinata giggled taking another chestnut in her hand and breaking it open.

"Shinta, you ate yours!" Another boy complained.

"Just one!"

"No!"

Suddenly the doors sprung open and Sasuke was standing there, staring at the children. _Are they multiplying!?_ He immediately turned to look at Hinata.

"Sasuke." Her face was cheerful and relaxed. Not at all what he was expecting to see when he got home.

"Hey." He responded blankly. He realised he underestimated her sensitivity and endurance. "We saved you some chestnuts." She smiled a big smile at him.

"I saved it!" Kato protested turning to Hinata. "I saved it from Shinta!" He then looked at the skinny blonde boy sitting at the table opposite of him and stuck his tongue out, mocking him. Shinta returned the gesture spitefully.

"Right." Sasuke said while taking another look at the kids. He then closed the doors and disappeared. Hinata slowly got up from the table and went to the kitchen returning with 5 small paper bags. "You need to go now. Put your chestnuts in here everyone." She handed them out.

"Why do we have to go?" Shinta peered at her, obviously disappointed, since he had nothing to put in his bag.

"Sasuke must be tired. You wouldn't want to bother him, now would you?" Hinata responded.

"No I wouldn't." The boy shook his head, reacting to her inquisitive and compassionate expression with slight guilt. If Hinata was not being genuine, her ability to influence these kids would have been intimidating.

With the house sinking into silence Hinata could hear Sasuke's footsteps in the kitchen. She picked up the bowls from the table and walked in. She was still smiling.

"Where did all of them come from?" He was slicing bread and tomatoes on the counter.

"Kato brought them. We trained."

"You trained?" Sasuke stopped and raised an eyebrow at her.

"No, I didn't of course. I just showed them a couple of things. They found the chestnuts in the forest playing survival and I roasted them for them." She ran the water over the dishes.

"You don't mind them." He stated returning to his preparation of food.

"I don't." She responded looking at him. "Do you?"

"Yes. But I don't care where they are, as long as you keep them out of my way."

"O-ok." She agreed. "Sasuke. Here." She handed him a bowl with roasted chestnuts. Sasuke looked down, his eyes lingering on her arm a second more than he intended. Specifically, on the band aid where her IV was. Lingering on the spot just below the wrappings moving up her forearm. She noticed he looked before he took the bowl from her. "The pain is very mild now, and is decreasing all the time." She said with a polite smile on her face.

"That's good." Sasuke moved towards the table sitting down. It's not that he was particularly surprised. It's not like he didn't know she was covered in wounds. He didn't ask for an explanation and he didn't expect it. But he still wanted it. And she knew that. There was something relaxing about that. Comforting even. Not normally. Normally Sasuke would stay on his toes next to anyone who could read his thoughts no matter how superficial they were. But for the first time, the effect was opposite. He was home.

He was tired. He forgot he was tired.

"I'll take the bathroom first. I uhm... I'll be quick." She arranged the bowls to dry and left the kitchen suggesting she'll be done when he finishes with his food.

He kept thinking about going to bed. He wasn't even hungry anymore he just wanted… A tingling sensation churned in his stomach breaking his thoughts, spreading through him weakening the muscles in his arms and legs. He repositioned himself made rather uncomfortable by it. This was unfamiliar. It wasn't arousal, it was..? Well Sasuke certainly didn't care anymore. It stopped anyway.

Next time it came back surprising him again was when he hugged Hinata in bed. He knew he couldn't make this sensation go away by masturbating. (Not that he bothered to do that as some precaution anymore, since Hinata never said another word about him getting a boner. He figured she believed him when he said it had nothing to do with her, or that she simply decided to ignore it. So he stopped bothering to hide it in bed, knowing it can't be done at this point. He decided he only had to be careful during the day.) No, this was different. It reminded of thrill one feels in the heat of battle with your life on the line. But instead of pushing him into movement, the sensation made him want to hold on. Hug her tighter. Hold her closer than he normally does. Hoping she won't notice, he indulged his desire by increasing the hold on her bit by bit, until she was glued to him, hear head on his forearm, his arm around her waist and on her stomach, the other under her head, bodies touching full length.

Now he was sure his body had a backup system in order to urge him to have sex. If arousal was not enough, something like this would appear. His conclusion actually motivated him to spite himself, as silly as that sounded, even to him.

Hinata certainly felt the difference. She was almost being smothered by Sasuke, as if about to be eaten by an anaconda. Not that this didn't normally happen, but it usually took for him to fall asleep before he'd start suffocating her in one way, or another. She found it a bit hypocritical of him to complain about her moving around at night. Though she didn't hold it against him. Then she remembered the last time she experienced something like this. It was on an escort mission for daimyo's youngest daughter. The girl had a fear of the dark. She requested Hinata, the only girl in the group, to sleep in her knapsack. After she crawled in next to her, the girl hugged her tightly out of nervousness. Hinata, Kiba and Shino kept telling her stories until she relaxed and fell asleep. But remembering this anecdote didn't really come in handy. Sasuke was an adult and she knew very well, a proud person at that. Hinata had no doubt he'd feel insulted if she were to treat him like a child and ask him if he's afraid, or nervous about something. Most of all, she was sure he wouldn't tell her even if he wasn't insulted.

He didn't tie up her arms and legs. He wouldn't for the fact that she was injured. So now she thought that she could comfort him. Whatever it was that worried him, if she couldn't ask, she could touch him back. A touch is comforting. When Sasuke touched her, she felt sleepy. Being in his arms couldn't have been anything but a relaxing experience for Hinata, despite his seeming lack of awareness of the fact that she was a human and not a pillow. He had this ability to put the world on hold and tell it to fuck off. Maybe she could do the same for him. She moved her arm back placing it over his that was on her stomach, covering it from elbow to palm, while her other arm remained bent, lying on the bed. The gesture was considered friendly, but a part of her didn't agree. She started feeling nervous and her cheeks were heating up. As if she was becoming aware of her situation in some way. She finally started to feel as if some line was crossed. Only she had no idea what that line even was, let alone where it was.

Just as the adrenaline began to subside, Sasuke felt her palm on the back of his, lowering itself, covering him. His muscles contracted again, it all came rushing back, but he froze. His breathing deepened and he did his best to hold it contained and relax. He had no intention of being influenced by it, but he gave himself permission to enjoy the sensation. After all, all he had to lose for it was a little sleep. Also was there a better way to spite himself? He didn't think so.

_-…1.5 days later…-_

Hinata was nervously sitting on the bed and tugging on the wrappings under her shirt. Sasuke walked in the room after her having noticed she was missing for a while now since he came home and couldn't find her. She looked at him, quickly looking away retaining that stiff nervous position. "Sasuke do you think it would be alright to call Sakura for aftercare in here?"

"Sakura's went out on a mission. Why don't you use clones?"

"No, you can't have any chakra filtering for aftercare…Well uhm... I need to go to a hospital." She responded with her head down.

Sasuke understood the problem. "Only shinobi who live alone can go for that to a hospital." He slowly approached her, sitting on the bed right behind her with his one leg on the floor and the foot of his other leg on the bed, so that she was in-between his legs.

She stiffly observed what he was doing and the moment he sat down, she jumped up turning to face him. "You can't!"

"Who then?"

"Well my mother usually… I could run there quickly!" Hinata smiled mildly, with a bit of hope in her eyes.

"And what are you going to say to her? That you couldn't undress in front of your husband?"

Hinata blushed furiously and looked away. "I guess I can't say that..."

"Come back and sit down."

She hesitated looking at him with a blushing with a sour, protesting expression, before she approached slowly sitting back into place. Sasuke stared at her for a moment. Now he himself was hesitating.

He split the back of her hair apart sending it to the front over her shoulders. He moved quickly, but carefully and smoothly as if she was some weird, scared, little animal he could easily intimidate by doing something unpredictable. He then lifted the edge of her shirt revealing naked skin, inspecting what her back looked like. As he did, she lifted her elbows allowing him to move the shirt high enough to uncover her upper back, but retained hold of the part of the shirt creasing it under her breasts. She was treated by a medic properly. Everything was neat and there was little blood to be seen.

"I can't remove them like this." He tugged on the bindings that were going around her shoulder in a spiral down her torso ending wrapped around her waist. But she didn't move, complain, or look for an alternative for that matter as Sasuke expected her to. "Hands up." He ordered still holding her shirt up and she squeezed her eyes in embarrassment, as her hands quickly rose into the air. He leaned forward lifting his ass of the bed and could, from above, see her ears that turned completely red, just before he removed the shirt over her head and arms. Imagining Orochimaru didn't help him now. Being aroused around her was starting to irritate him. It was becoming torture, not just another problem he needed a solution for. And he did need that solution fast.

Seeing her like this, removing her shirt... He made sure to sit further away from her as he sat back down. He then extended his hand over her shoulder, offering her shirt back to her. She took it from him very quickly placing it over her breasts, which already had their appropriate kunoichi bindings on them anyway. He smiled briefly noticing the quick movement. _A squirrel. _He found the appropriate creature to compare her to.

He removed a smaller patch on her upper back revealing a deep cut obviously made by a shuriken. The skin around the crust of the wound seemed quite red and sensitive . He took the ointment and applied it right on the middle of it making Hinata call his name.

"Sasuke."

Now he pulled his hand off her wound, lingering above it.

"You can't put it on the middle. Only around it, as close to the middle as possible."

"Here?" He trailed the ointment in a half circle on her skin.

"Yes." She turned her head slightly sideways towards him, signalling approval.

He continued with his task carefully.

"You've never done aftercare before?" She asked with this newfound calmness now apparent in her voice.

"No. I always lived with larger groups that contained medics."

"I actually learned by treating the medics, because they couldn't do it to themselves." She smiled.

"I never treated anyone." He responded continuing with his task, while focusing at the morbid contrast between the wound and the silky, soft skin next to it. He didn't need Orochimaru now. Wounds didn't suit her at all. As far as Sasuke was concerned, being a shinobi didn't suit her altogether. Now, he was actually growing angry, remembering how it got to it. _She had no business being on the borders. She had no business leading a squad alone. This should have been suspected. Naruto is an idiot! If he had any sense in that blonde balloon he calls a head, he wouldn't have..!_

"Naruto said I might have a chance for a promotion."

Sasuke suddenly stopped moving.

"Not really! I mean… Not right now of course." She looked down humbled and blushed again thinking about that proud look in Naruto's eyes. "But soon… If I keep this up." She finished her sentence fumbling with the fabric in her hands.

"You're not a jonin material." He responded continuing to move the band aids and apply the ointment.

"I…I know that." She looked down embarrassed and saddened by his words.

"Now what?" He asked after having completed his task.

"Uhm.. Well you spread your chakra across the surface of your palm. She extended her palm to the side showing him, making her hand glow with blue chakra. He repeated after her and his began to turn into electricity. "No, don't mesh it, just let it cover your hand. It's really the technique you use to walk on water." Finally, he could complete his work by enhancing the crème with chakra, making them form little, circular white patches on her skin over each wound. This allowed her to heal faster and stop using bandages.

"Sasuke."

"Yes?"

"I uhm, I forgot to tell you. My parents are supposed to come here."

Sasuke didn't interrupt his work. "Today?"

"Tonight. It's..."

"Another tradition?" He asked, annoyance audible in his voice.

"No, my mum insisted actually. She wants to see me."

"Do I need to be there?"

"If you could, it would be nice… Yes."

_How fucking lovely. _Sasuke kept his mouth shut.


End file.
